Honeymoon
by MichaelCross
Summary: After graduating from high school, Sousuke and Kaname go on their honeymoon. What'll happen during their special time? Third prequel to 'Specialist and Schoolgirl'. Has strong lemon scenes within.
1. Take One: Encounters of the Whacked Kind

Honeymoon

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic! or Please Teacher! Wish I did though.

Author's Notes: Since I had gotten a good response to 'Seven Months', I thought I'd chronicle Sousuke and Kaname's honeymoon. From their adventures and misadventures. Don't know how long it'll take, so please bear with me on this. Heavy lemons within.

Take One: Encounters of the Whacked Kind

The sun is about to set when Sousuke and Kaname Sagara near their first destination on their honeymoon trip. So far, the drive had gone by peacefully. Too peacefully for Kaname's taste.

She is so bored, she is sorely tempted to fold up the rear seat, slide to behind Sousuke's seat and deploy the chain guns and ADF pod to start wreaking havoc, just for kicks. The reason why she doesn't is because she knows that Sousuke'd prefer things remain peaceful. Along with the weaponry on board is state of the art and top secret.

Looking over at her husband, Kaname grins, knowing of something else she could do to pass the time. Reaching over to his zipper, Kaname gives him a soft peck as she runs it down. When it's down, she reaches into his trousers and smirks upon feeling his member.

Upon feeling his wife's fingers around his member, Sousuke asks, "Uh, Kaname?"

"Shh. I've always wanted to try this, Sousuke." With that, Kaname giggles as she kisses him before proceeding, stroking his member to erection as she does so.

Inside the town, a young woman, wearing a blue shirt and skirt, with pink hair and violet eyes is walking alongside a younger-appearing man, wearing a yellow and green shirt and blue jeans, with tan hair and brown eyes. Both are wearing glasses.

They had just come back into town from the city after 'watching' a romantic comedy in the cinema. They had sat way in the back, making out like love-starved teens as they listened to the movie. Looking around carefully, the woman removes her glasses after seeing no one around.

"Kei?"

"Yes, Mizuho?"

"I've been curious about something."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Your 'standstill' so long ago. How'd it happen? You told me it was in Junior High, but you weren't quite specific."

Sighing sadly, Kei replies, "I wish I could tell you, Mizuho. But, just thinking about it is liable to cause me to have another 'standstill', let alone talk about it."

"Well, I can't have that, now can I." Suddenly, she slams her palms together. "Here's another thought. How about if we..." She then leans over and, smiling warmly, whispers into his ear, causing him to blush. Massively.

"After all, I am part human, so it should be quite feasible. All avenues must be explored. This should be a Priority One for us. After all, we've been married again for a year now and I'd like to see what it's like."

Smiling softly at his wife, Kei replies, "Somehow I'd think, after all the practice we've had so far, we'd have had one by now, Mizuho."

"Oh, that. Well, the Galaxy Federation puts it's Officers on very strong measures to avoid unplanned, unexpected or unwanted events." Shrugging, she adds, "I guess the habit just stuck with me. Even though I'm not with the GF anymore."

"Really? How strong?"

"The effects last for six months per measure."

"That's pretty strong." At her agreeing nod, he then says, "So if it's been a while since your last measure, then I'd say it's about to expire. If my calculations are correct."

"They are. And I feel like I'm ready. Are you?"

"I am, Mizuho."

Now giggling, she grips Kei's hand and they both run together, laughing. Stopping in the middle of the field, Mizuho twirls them both around. Catching Kei's face in her hands, she kisses him passionately.

"I love you, Kei."

"I love you too, Mizuho."

"Kei."

"Mizuho." Suddenly seeing Mizuho grin, he asks, "Mizuho?"

"Do me, Kei. Right here. Right now." Caressing him through his pants, she adds, giggling, "I've always wanted to do this outdoors." Lying down onto the ground, she hikes up her skirt, relishing Kei's bulging eyes. "That's right, Kei. No panties."

"I think I married a nymphomaniac." Mizuho can't help but giggle as Kei gently lies down on top of her and smiles down into his wife's face. "I love you, Mizuho Kusanagi."

"I love you too, Kei Kusanagi."

With that, they both tilt their heads toward each other to kiss. Next thing they know, they're rocked by an explosion from beside them, with the shockwave knocking them apart from each other.

Coughing from the force of the blast and in a prone state, Mizuho calls out, "Kei!"

"Mizuho!" On his hands and knees, Kei crawls over to Mizuho's side and asks, "You okay, Mizuho?" Catching sight of her left arm, he says, "You're hurt, Mizuho!" Mizuho looks and can't help but gasp.

Sure enough, her arm is badly bleeding from a deep gash. Blinking back, Mizuho sees that Kei's sustained some injury as well. His shirt is torn and his chest has a nasty gash running along it diagonally. With blood seeping out slowly through his shirt.

"Yes, Kei. I'm okay. Don't worry. It's just a deep scratch. Nothing really problematic. It's nowhere near an artery or vein. My ship's healer can repair the damages to the both of us. But your damage is worse than mine is."

As Kei looks down at himself, Mizuho says, "That's right, Kei. You look a little banged up too, Kei. It looks pretty bad. Marie, get us out of here! This is a Priority One!" To her horror, nothing happens. "Marie, respond!" Next thing they know, they hear a sinister female voice. One vaguely familiar to Mizuho.

"_No one's listening to you, Kazami! Now, come along quietly or I'll get nasty to you and your puny little human!"_ With that, another explosion happens, kicking up dust around them.

On the road outside of town, Kaname jumps up from what she had been doing, looks over at Sousuke and asks, "Did you hear that blast, Sousuke?"

"Affirmative. I'd say we're about fifteen minutes out, five with the turbos. Go to war." Kaname grumbles as she runs his zipper back up, being careful not to damage him. "There's always tonight, Kaname."

Truth be told, he was thoroughly enjoying what his wife was doing until it was so rudely interrupted. 'I was on the verge of climaxing into her mouth, for crying out loud! Now I want to kick and kill some butts!'

"Roger. And there is, Sousuke." Kaname flips up the rear seat and slides the passenger seat along it's floor track to behind Sousuke. "I'm in position, honey."

His voice now professional and businesslike, he says, "Engaging ECS invisible mode. Once complete, give me chain guns one and two, sweetie."

"You got it, honey." Lifting the rear arm panel, Kaname sees the buttons are clearly marked. "If anything, this will make things a lot easier for me."

"Why's that?"

Bringing down the cover of the back of the seat, Kaname smiles upon seeing the screen and keyboard as she brings it out. "I don't know half these weapons, Sousuke. I've heard of the Sidewinder and Hellfire missiles, but some of these others, I just don't know."

"Understood. Just press what I call for and I'll handle it. ECS active. Chain guns, if you please, my dear. I'm hitting the turbos." With that, the car bursts forward at just below 400 mph while Kaname works on deploying the chain guns.

"Chain guns, my love." On the sides of the car, if you could even see it, the rear fenders pop out and twin machine guns come out, their barrels extending outward and facing forward. "Chain guns ready, ECS holding steady." She then sees him putting a headset she'd never seen before. "What's that, Sousuke?"

"Copy that. It's a targeting monocle. There should be one for you back there as well. Judging from the sound of the explosion, I'd say it was launched from above." Looking beside herself, she sees a compartment marked 'monocle' and opens it. Sure enough, there's one for her use.

"Found it." Upon putting it on, she puts the tubular eyepiece into position. Immediately, she gets the external view and begins enacting search protocols. "Okay. Doing a radar and horizon sweep." Frustrated, she groans. "Nothing's showing, Sousuke."

"Hmm, they either have a new kind of stealth system or somehow obtained ECS. What about dust clouds or signs of turbulence? Any visible, Kaname?"

"Yeah. I've got a big dust cloud as a result of that blast, but it's starting to fade out. Wait a minute. I'm getting a consistent dust cloud. With no signs of dissipating. What do I do?"

"Chances are, the technicians at Mithril gave us identification capability. Type in 'ident bogey'. We should get something that way."

Typing it in, she asks, "Won't it have to be visible or show up on radar?"

"Most of the time, typically so. But if dust makes contact with the hull, it should give a shape at least."

"Checking. Huh. That's weird."

"What is it, Kaname?"

"There's a shaped pattern, all right. It seems to be the bottom, but it's not giving any result. All it's saying is 'not found'. Almost like it doesn't exist. I can't even tell if it's armed or not. No visible weapons that I could see. Who knows how big that thing is?"

"That has to be our target then. I'm assuming it to be hostile. Deploy the ADF pod and give me a Copperhead, if you please. I'm cutting the turbos." Immediately, the couple feels the car slowing down as it reaches the target zone.

"Copperhead, coming right up." Up on the roof, a triple-barrel missile rack pops up. "ADF pod deployed, Copperhead primed and ready for launch, Sousuke. Wait a minute. I'm picking up two people on the ground right below it. Sousuke, if that missile hits..."

"Yeah. The craft's remains could hit them upon crashing to the ground." Activating the car's external speaker, Sousuke says, "Attention unidentified craft. You are harassing and endangering a pair of civilians with your present position. You are ordered to reposition, leave the area or else."

"_Identify yourself, human. Even more, how did you detect me? I have the best cloaking device in the galaxy."_ The voice is feminine, yet haughty, cold and rabid.

That causes Sousuke and Kaname's eyebrows to go up in fascination. Thinking of a name, Sousuke replies, "Just call me Roadwolf. Right now, I have a Copperhead missile aimed just right above your dust cloud. Whether it hits or not is up to you. Be advised, I don't do warning shots." The tone within his voice is evident to the woman, given her reply.

"_Very well, Roadwolf. You win this round. But the fugitive will be mine. Along with her puny mate!"_ With that, the dust cloud dissipates, a sign the offending craft is nowhere nearby.

"We're clear. Retract the weapons, Kaname."

"On it." As she deactivates the weaponry, she asks, "Sousuke, what exactly did that voice mean by 'human', and 'galaxy'? Her voice sounded rather snootily condescending with that tone."

"No idea, Kaname. But I'd bet a Glock magazine it has something to do with it's pilot being quite irrationally upset with those two for some reason, my darling. It seems to be rather intent on them." That, in turn, earns him an amused snort from Kaname.

"Not going to take that bet. I'd lose against you for sure, Sousuke." The young couple then exchanges a soft chuckle, just as Kaname adds, "Weapons retracted and concealed, honey."

Removing the headset, she smiles at it. 'Things just got more interesting. Ah, what's this down here?' Picking it up, she slides the seat back to beside Sousuke. Silently and wanting to see if she can spook him.

"All right. Canceling ECS. Come on back, Kaname."

"Already beside you, sweetie." Kaname grins as she holds up a canteen. "I found this in the back. In case they happen to be thirsty from all that dust." Much to her surprise, he didn't even flinch. 'At least he's still very disciplined. Any lesser man would flinch.'

Not missing a beat, he says, "Good thinking, darling. I see I've rubbed off on you quite a bit."

"Well, who better to teach someone survival skills than a certified survivor, honey?" They exchange another chuckle, just as Sousuke pulls the car up to the people lying on the ground and pulls it to a stop. Upon seeing minor wounds on them, she adds, "Oh my. We may need the First Aid Kit as well."

"Right. I'll get it while you take the water to them. It should be in the rear storage bin."

"You got it." Exiting the car as he does, Kaname runs up to them and gets a good look at them. 'Why, he's only a teen still and she must be about twenty-five or so! Even more, they're both heavily covered with dust.' Next thing she knows, the young woman groans.

Her eyes closed, the woman tries getting up. "Hmm, Kei? You okay? Who's there?"

"Shh, it's all right. Keep your eyes closed and don't try to move. You're both safe. My husband and I saw you two on the ground. What happened?"

Opening the canteen, she pours some water into it's cup and offers it to the woman. Smiling gratefully, she nods, accepting it. "Drink it slowly. I'd better clean your eyes off as well. You both got dusted real heavily."

The woman nods as she drinks. Once she's done, Kaname dips her fingertips into the water and brushes them against her eyelids. "Wait a minute, then open your eyes."

"Thank you. They're after me. My former bosses. I heard a voice, just before I blanked out." Opening her eyes, she sees a young woman's face. 'How can she be married? She can't be more than eighteen years of age!'

"Sousuke, where are you with that kit?"

"On the way, Kaname!" Getting to his wife's side, he determines which is more injured and goes right to work on the young man. "Does he have any allergies, ma'am?"

"No, to my knowledge, he doesn't. What's wrong with Kei?" The woman's voice takes a sound of panic, prompting Kaname to try soothing her. While Sousuke works on him.

"My husband's checking right now. What's Kei's last name?"

"Kusanagi. Kei Kusanagi." Taking a chance, she adds, "He's my husband."

"How can that be? He can't be older than sixteen or seventeen years of age."

"It's complicated. But, just you know, he's actually twenty years old."

"And you are?"

"Mizuho Kusanagi, though I go by Kazami when I'm working at school."

"Oh, you're a teacher?"

"Yes. In fact, I'm also Kei's teacher." Looking over at Kaname, she asks, "How about you? What's your story?"

"Like yours, mine is very complicated. Of course, without my husband having been at my side for about three years, I could be dead already."

"Who, who are you?"

"Sagara. Kaname Sagara and this is my husband, Sousuke. We're on our honeymoon."

"Oh, you just got married?"

"Negative." Mizuho's stunned to hear Sousuke's voice and even more stunned her arm's wound is being tended to already. As he works, she can't help but be impressed by his skill at doing field dressings.

'It's like he does this for a living! Is he a Doctor? Or something else altogether?'

"Kaname and I have been married for three months now, going on four and our son is three months old, going on four. We figured we'd wait until graduation before going on our honeymoon. We just graduated today."

"That sounds practical enough, along with responsible and mature enough."

Grinning on the inside, knowing how right the woman is, Kaname asks, "How's Kei doing, Sousuke?"

"He's banged up pretty badly, Kaname. He's quickly losing blood. Unless we can get him to a Medical facility, we'll lose him. Even more, that blast seems to have knocked him out. If he'll even wake up after treatment, I don't know."

"Oh no. Not another one! Kei!" Mizuho struggles to get to Kei's side, with Kaname struggling to hold her steady, yelling, "Keep moving forward, Kei! Don't 'standstill' again! Kei!" Sousuke and Kaname look at each other and nod, agreeing on the same thing.

'This is certainly turning out to be a memorable honeymoon.' Next thing they know, they hear Mizuho, in a distressed tone, call out.

"Marie, teleport all four of us to the med-bay! This is a Priority One!"

Before either can ask what's going on, they see bright blueish-white light surrounding them all and close their eyes. Opening their eyes as the light dims, they see a series of beds and Mizuho gently placing Kei onto one of them.

"Marie, begin healing Kei's chest wound and scanning for Kei's brainwave activity. This is a Priority One." Taking his hand into hers, Mizuho lovingly strokes his head, saying, "I'm right here, Kei. I'm right here, my darling husband." As the healer does it's work on Kei, the damaged tissues start reforming into intact flesh.

"Um, excuse me. Who's Marie and what is going on here? For that matter, where are we?" Kaname can't help but nervously gulp as Mizuho starts turning around, trembling.

Upon seeing her turn around, Sousuke draws his Glock and moves to shield Kaname, covering Mizuho with the barrel in one move. Through the whole thing, Mizuho is still turning around.

"Marie is the Master Control link for my ship's computer." Getting a look at the object in Sousuke's hand and his stance, she asks, "Are you from the Galaxy Federation as well? An undercover operative, sent to capture me?" Using her semi-limited knowledge to establish the object in his hand is a weapon, she goes on.

"Your cover is impressive, as is your stance. I must admit, I've never seen a weapon like that or a stance like that. Not since my days in the Galaxy Academy."

"Negative. I'm with an organization that fights terrorists and destroys drug rings."

"You're so young. Unless, of course..."

His voice steady, Sousuke calmly asks, "Unless what?" Much as he hates to admit it, he's finding himself intrigued by the woman's questions and remarks. 'It's almost as if she was expecting something like this to happen! Galaxy Federation, huh? I'll have to consult Lt Cmdr Kalinin later on.'

"A 'standstill'. A period in which your body lies dormant, almost like a coma. Kei went into a 'standstill' for three years when he was fifteen. Did that ever happen to you?"

"Negative." Holstering his Glock as he comes out of his stance, he says, "No wonder you said he was actually twenty years old. He looks so young." Kaname nods in agreement as Sousuke goes on. "What about this Galaxy Federation? What's their beef with you?"

"Beef? I didn't know cattle were involved."

"Um, no. Sousuke's still trying to get a grasp of civilian speak, particularly slang. In other words, he's wondering what their problem is."

Sighing as she releases Kei's hand to get onto a bed, Mizuho replies, "I obeyed my orders the best I could, but things quickly got out of control. First, I compromised my identity, prompting me to confide in Kei."

"That's a good thought. If you're going to have an ally to confide in, it'll make your job easier to perform. I know, because Sousuke's been there. He's confided in me quite a few times. Just like I've confided in him a few times. He's the only one I can truly trust. So far, I'd say you've got it made."

Noticing Mizuho looking over at Kei as his wound is healing, she can't help but be concerned over what would happen if Sousuke was on that table instead of Kei.

"I wish it was that easy, Mrs Sagara. That was the start of my relationship with him. We had gotten married because it was Kei's Uncle's idea that we were, so the Principal wouldn't fire me. Things got a little crazier from there. When Kei went into a bad 'standstill', I entered his mind to bring him out of it. My superiors were furious with me."

Starting to sob, she goes on. "As a result, they sealed away all of his memories of me, along with the school's personnel and his schoolmates' memories of me. I love him so much, I just couldn't stand it, being away from him. So, I ran. I've had no regrets since then."

"Yeah. Kinda the same with Sousuke and I, only his organization's based on Earth. At least we think so." Smirking at Sousuke's perplexed look, she adds, "Definitely something to ponder. No conventional human does the things you do, Sousuke."

"Well, I'm not exactly conventional, am I?"

"Nope. You're sure not, Sousuke. That's just fine with me, honey."

"Oh, what's the name of your organization and rank? Judging from your earlier stance, you have highly-advanced training."

"Mithril. I'm a Lieutenant in the Special Response Team. Think of it like a S.W.A.T. team in the Military sense. As for my training, I've been training all my life, Mrs Kusanagi."

"Oh, you're a soldier? But, you're so young, just like Kei is by appearances. Thinking of, Marie, begin my healing, along with our cleaning and clothing repair sequences. This is a Priority One." Instantly, her wound begins healing. During the healing, both their bodies are being cleaned and their damaged clothing repaired.

"I'm a Specialist and a veteran. There are some battles you're better off not knowing about. Your Medical and other technology is quite impressive."

Once her repairs are completed, Mizuho smiles as she removes her arm's bandage and says, "Thank you. How long have you been doing it?" Catching sight of an X-shaped scar on his left cheek, she thinks, 'I don't think my technology could heal that scar. Even more, it looks like he's come to accept it. Mrs Sagara doesn't seem to mind it one bit.'

"I've been a fighter ever since I was eight years old, ma'am. For the past ten years, I've gone all around the world, fighting the good fight. During that time, I met the love of my life."

"But, if she was still in school, then how did...?"

"We meet?" Kaname smirks softly, stroking Sousuke's hands. "He's my protector, my Life Insurance Agent and Policy, you might say. He was assigned to protect me and we fell in love over time. Of course, it wasn't easy at first. Especially since he's a 'Demolition Man'. A very destructive one."

"How do you mean, Mrs Sagara?" Curious, she thinks, 'Why does she need protection? She seems to be like an ordinary young woman.'

"Basically, he just does his job and things get demolished. With him around, you better be sure to have your insurance paid up. All in all, he's a walking disaster. A lot of people have learned the hard way not to mess with a 'Demolition Man'."

With that, she giggles and kisses the side of his head. "Be it the bad guys or everyday life. But I still love this maniac of mine." Next thing they know, they hear light groaning coming from Kei.

"Oh, man. Will someone please tell the road crew to ease off with their jackhammers already? I'm trying to sleep here." His wound repair is complete, without even a trace of blood as he slowly removes the bandage from his torso with his eyes closed.

"Kei!" Mizuho gets up from the bed, rushes over to her husband's side and cradles his head into her arms. "Are you all right, Kei?"

Kei groggily opens his eyes and smiles upon seeing Mizuho's face, prompting her to smile as well. "I am. How about you, Mizuho?"

"I'm all right. That GF hunter didn't get me. Thanks to our new friends here." Giving his lips a quick peck, she gingerly helps him up.

"Friends?"

"Yes. Thinking of, just where did that voice earlier come from? There was nothing other than that ship nearby."

"Before we go into further detail, we need to go somewhere a little more conducive to conversations. Any chance Marie can transport us to our car?"

"Yes, Lt Sagara. Right away. Marie, return us to the pick-up point. This is a Priority One." Instantly, they're returned back to the site. Upon seeing the black car, Mizuho smiles at the sight of it while Sousuke closes the kit. "That's a nice car. What kind is it?"

"Officially, it's a Toyota Celica. Unofficially, it's something else altogether." Heading to the car's back end, he puts the kit back into the bin and closes it.

"How do you mean, Lt Sagara?"

Kaname grins wryly and replies, "Well, not many Celicas come equipped with weaponry capable of wiping out a small country's defenses. Let alone counter-measures for it's own protection." Opening the car's doors, Sousuke and Kaname allow their newfound friends into the back seat and get in.

Gulping nervously, Kei asks, "Are you saying it's armed?"

Sousuke nods and replies, "That we are. That it is. To the teeth. Or, in this case, bumpers." Kaname can't help a peal of laughter at Sousuke's unplanned literal pun. "We have access to grenade launchers, chain guns and fourteen tactical weapons launched from an ADF munitions pod."

Curious, Mizuho asks, "What kind of tactical weapons?"

"We have from Hellfire all the way to nuclear-tipped Shrike missiles. We also have chaff flares to decoy enemy missiles. We're kinda pushing it with the weight, though." Kaname's laughter intensifies with the last part of it. As her laughter dies down to light chuckling, Kaname turns to look at her beloved.

"This coming from a guy that usually goes around armed to the teeth? Never thought I'd hear that come from your mouth, Sousuke." Pecking his cheek, she musses up his hair.

"Never thought I'd say it, either. Oh well. That's life."

Puzzled, Kei asks, "How armed are you exactly, Mr Sagara?"

"Heavily. Very heavily. Basically, I've got guns and bullets. Lots of guns and bullets."

Mizuho frowns lightly and remarks, "I don't know whether to be relieved or concerned

by that word. Even more, I thought, under Japanese Law, it was illegal for private individuals to have firearms, even if they are soldiers in another life. Even more, I've never heard of a car with access to various weaponry." Kei nods, in total agreement.

"I suggest relieved, Mrs Kusanagi. Heaven knows that without Sousuke having been heavily armed that day, that gang would not have been scared so easily. Of course, what he said scared the living daylights out of them. As to his firearms, they're necessary for his line of work as he's not exactly a private citizen. And this car is one of a kind."

"Just how heavy are we talking, Mrs Sagara?" At Kei's question, Kaname tells them flat out. By the time she's done, Kei is very pale as he asks, "How could he even walk with all that hardware on him, let alone hide it all? Even a rocket launcher would stick out like a sore thumb. It'd be impossible for a normal person."

"Well, luckily for me, Sousuke is far from normal and a pro at concealing weaponry. But, I wouldn't have him any other way. After all, just how many young men take up the cause of Justice before turning nine? Let alone seek revenge for his parents' deaths."

"Was that what happened to you, Lt Sagara? I'm surprised you didn't go into a 'standstill' at all. That must have been trying for you."

"Affirmative, it was, Mrs Kusanagi. So, what causes 'standstills' anyway?"

"Well, most of the time, stress and depression. Especially ever since..." Kei's voice trails off as he shakes his head, saying, "Can't think about it. Don't want to 'standstill' again."

With a sympathetic nod, Sousuke says, "Understood. Any others like you, Mr Kusanagi?"

"Yeah, a friend of mine from school. She's actually twenty-three now and she went into a 'standstill' for six years." Blinking, Kei asks, "How'd you know my last name anyway?"

"Your wife told us. You took some bad hits and went into a 'standstill'. In some ways, it was a blessing because it allowed me to tend your wounds without you thrashing around." Kei blinks at Sousuke's cold and professional yet caring tone and decides to find out more.

"What do you do? You sound like a Doctor." Looking around, he mentally adds, 'A Doctor that's supposedly got weapons concealed in his car, that is. It looks fairly normal.'

"That's one way of putting it." Kaname lets out a giggle as she looks over at Sousuke. "By the way, I'm Kaname Sagara. This is my husband Sousuke." Kei bows his head, with the blue-haired young woman and Sousuke returning the gesture.

Curious, Mizuho asks, "Have you always known about Mithril, Mrs Sagara? Particularly when he first arrived?"

"No, not really. It's more or less a shadow operation, not aligned with any one actual governed nation in particular. Mercenaries working in secret to protect the world and it's millions of innocent inhabitants. He's one of it's best warriors. Although, he did nearly blow it when he introduced himself as a Sergeant when he greeted the class."

"Doesn't that concern you? A group of mercenaries not under the public eye? There has to be some oversight."

"They tried that way once, Mrs Kusanagi. The unit got burned, badly. Of course, they were actually terrorists, but Mithril felt it'd be best to stay in the shadows and secretive. Less complicated that way."

"I see. And you're a Lieutenant. Correct?"

"Affirmative. My call sign is Urzu-7. My operations theater is the West Pacific Ocean Fleet Tactical Division's Special Response Team."

"If you're a Lieutenant now, then I'd say your rank is fairly recent."

Kaname nods proudly and replies, "Yep. Effective as of last year, Mrs Kusanagi."

"When did you find out about Mithril?"

"The night our plane was hijacked and taken to the Khanka enclave. During our school trip to Okinawa."

Kei's eyes go wide as he says, "I remember reading about that after I came out of my last major 'standstill'. But, it was the UN that pulled off the rescue, wasn't it?"

"Nope. It was all Mithril, using two UN planes. It was also when I found out what Sousuke could really do. Be it driving like a lunatic under heavy fire, crashing through hangar doors that are still closed to piloting Arm Slaves. Needless to say, he changed my world, my life. Changed everything. Just like I changed everything for him."

"Why and who tried to grab you?" Mizuho can't help but frown at Kaname's shocked gasp. "I'm right, aren't I? Someone tried grabbing you for who knows why."

"I'll just leave it at that there are some things that people would desperately like to get their hands on. Especially secrets of the highly-technical kind. As for who it was, it's better you don't know his name. Just know this. He was a sadistic lunatic that got his jollies by wanting to and also by killing innocent people. Along with soldiers."

"Was?"

"Yep, that's right, Mrs Kusanagi. Sousuke blew up the body and gave the head to his CO, as a trophy of sorts. To this day, his CO has it in a jar of formaldehyde on his shelf in his office. Isn't that right, Sousuke?"

"Affirmative."

Kei gulps as he looks at them both and asks, "You're not serious, right?" Upon seeing their grim expressions in the reflection from the windshield, he starts feeling nervous, saying, "My word, you both are serious."

"That we are." Sousuke looks over at Kaname and she gives him a soft peck as he goes on. "Some people are just too dangerous to allow to go on living."

"Why not simply shoot him and be done with it? Oh no, you didn't blow him up while he was alive, did you?" Kei can't help but picture a man being blown up while being alive. Needless to say, the thought makes him feel slightly ill.

"Actually, I did try shooting him. I also blew him up while he was alive. Several times, with him being inside an Arm Slave, each time. But, he had the truly most annoying habit of not staying dead when he was supposed to be."

"Did I hear you right? He never stayed dead?" At Sousuke's nod, Mizuho says, "I don't see how that'd be bad and annoying. Especially if he was a psycho."

"Trust me. The guy was a certifiable nightmare. He had another bad and annoying habit of calling me 'Kashim'. It was very hard to break him of either habit. I even shot him in the head in Afghanistan once. And he didn't even die."

"But, a head shot is usually fatal. How'd he pull that off?"

"He managed to survive because of a metal plate in his head, Mr Kusanagi. The last time I saw his face reasonably intact, I sent rounds from my Steyr SPP into him while a friend of ours shot him in his chest with a Glock 17C. That's what finally killed him."

"Then why blow up the body? Isn't that overkill?"

"To ensure he stayed dead. Why else, Mr Kusanagi? Besides, in that loon's case, overkill was the only reasonable option." The drive goes by in a tense silence while Mizuho, Sousuke and Kaname stay quiet. Kei, on the other hand, is shaking violently in fear.

As he shakes, Kei can't help but think, 'I don't think I'd ever want to see this guy angry! He's scary enough as it is when he isn't angry!'

Eager to change the subject, Mizuho then says, "It's not very often I come across a young woman with blue hair. Other than my little sister, of course."

"I could say the same, given your pink hair, Mrs Kusanagi." Kaname can't help but think, 'If she was with the Galaxy Federation, could she be a "Whispered" like me?' Resuming the chat, she asks, "So, where do we go from here, Mr and Mrs Kusanagi?"

Grateful for the second subject change, Kei replies, "My Uncle and Aunt are expecting us to stop in for dinner. You're more than welcome to join us if you like."

Smiling gratefully, Kaname replies, "Thank you. That'd be very nice. We are getting to be hungry. Are they privy to all of your information or are some things secret from them?"

"Only thing they don't know is that I'm an alien from another planet. Kei is the only one that knows about me."

Nodding, Sousuke replies, "Understood. We won't mention a word about it. It's only too bad we couldn't identify the craft that attacked you."

Mizuho frowns as she says, "The pilot's voice sounded fairly familiar to me. But, I couldn't place it. Other than that, I can't be of much help to you, I'm afraid."

"Roger. Whatever it was, what the voice said was quite troublesome. Not good."

Kaname nods in agreement with Sousuke's assessment and looks back toward the other couple. When she sees them looking at each other with tenderness in their eyes, she smirks gently. Smirking softly still, she gives Sousuke a slight nudge.

Whispering softly, she says, "In a way, they're just like us. From two different worlds."

Whispering back, he replies, "Hmm, affirmative. Only their case is a lot more literal than ours is." That gets him a soft giggle and a light swat on his arm.

"I can't believe you just said that, Sousuke. You can be a real rat at times, you know that?"

"Well, I do like cheese." That causes Kaname to start laughing lightly as she pecks him on his cheek, rolling her eyes in mirthful amusement.

"You may be a lunatic, but you're my lunatic."

"I thought I was a rat. Make up your mind, huh?" Kaname knows he's jesting and gives him another peck.

"Okay, how about this. You're my lunatic rat."

"That'll work. I'm your lunatic rat." The young couple then exchanges another chuckle and Sousuke adds, "It's only too bad we don't know who Kei's Uncle and Aunt are."

"Minoru and Konoha Edajima. They've looked after me since after I came out of my biggest 'standstill'. In a way, they're great to have around." Kaname nods and brings out the information that Sousuke had dug up on the town and starts leafing through it.

Two minutes later, she says, "Okay, here we go. Hmm, interesting. Kei, your Uncle and Aunt. They wouldn't happen to have a family clinic, would they? Because there's a clinic that bears the Edajima name."

"They do, Mrs Sagara. It's theirs."

"Great. Sousuke, set course."

"Roger. Edajima Clinic, here we come."

As Sousuke drives, Mizuho looks around inside the car and asks, "If the car is armed, where is the weaponry at?"

Kaname replies, "The weaponry is concealed, as are the ammunition stores. That's all we can safely tell you. Sousuke had a good point earlier today. We may be on honeymoon, but we're not going to let some nut ruin it for us. Tessa was also right about this being our honeymoon, not a destructive rampage. She really should have directed it to me."

Perplexed, Kei asks, "How do you mean?"

Chuckling nervously, she replies, "I was so bored, I was about to start wreaking havoc with the weapons, just for kicks. Up until I found a better way to occupy my time."

Mizuho catches on to Kaname's meaning and grins, saying, "I know how that is. Our first honeymoon was kind of ruined. Mostly by bad luck and timing. Our second time was much better. In fact, just before we were attacked, Kei and I were about to see what we could do." Having an idea of where Mizuho's going with it, Kaname smirks. Softly.

"In terms of..."

"Yep. That is our new Priority One." Smiling softly, Mizuho looks over and sees a beet red Kei. "Kei, you okay?"

"I can't believe you just said that flat out. I thought you telling your Mom about our sex life was bad enough, but this is liable to put me in a 'standstill'. Again." Sighing, he adds, "Sorry, Mizuho. It's just that I'm not used to 'Girl Talk' being done in front of me."

Giggling softly as she kisses him, she asks, "Oh, female bonding? It's fairly common. Like a universal language of sorts. Communication is key and should always be a Priority One."

"That's a good way of putting things. And here we are. Edajima Clinic." Kaname looks over and adds, "Looks like your Uncle and Aunt have company already, Kei. There's a woman with purple hair and a smaller young lady with dark blue hair."

"Mother, Maho!" Looking over at Kei, she says, "I just hope Mother doesn't pull another stunt like the last time she and Maho visited."

"I hope so too, Mizuho. I hope so too." Mizuho gives Kei a quick peck and turns toward Kaname.

"Your Mother ever try making a move on the Lt, Mrs Sagara?"

"No, although it would have been pretty hilarious for me to see him get so badly flustered. Before we fell in love with each other, he was pretty clueless. Then again, being in a constant war zone will do that to someone. Concentrate purely on survival, anything else is not very important. Especially matters of the heart."

"So his job and survival during such times always came first, huh?" At Kaname's nod, Mizuho remembers what Kaname had said earlier. "Would have been?"

"Yeah." Kaname sighs and goes on. "My Mother died, years ago. My Father and sister went back to the States after her funeral and I stayed behind in Japan. I'm sure she'd have loved to have met him, though. My Father, on the other hand, wasn't quite thrilled with Sousuke. But, in a couple of days and after a pair of competitions, he came around and accepted Sousuke. My younger sister Ayame liked him right away."

"You're lucky you have your Father still. My Father died when I was very young. The only memory I have of him is his shadow and an empty box of pocky." Grinning, she adds, "I can't get enough of it. Maho likes it as well. Of course, she tends to eat it like a shark."

"I can hardly wait to meet them, Mizuho." Mizuho smiles at Kaname before turning her attention to Sousuke.

"How about your family, Lt Sagara?"

"The only family I have now is Kaname, her Father and sister, our son, my older cousin, his bride and Mithril. After all, I'd been orphaned at eight years old."

"Oh, right. My apologies."

"It's not a problem." Bringing the car to a stop outside the clinic, Sousuke sees the two people step inside and says, "Looks like we're next on the guest list."

Kaname, Kei and Mizuho all chuckle at that as they exit the car and head to the door. Before Sousuke can knock, a man with black hair and a beard, wearing a red shirt and black pants, opens the door and smiles upon seeing the arrivals.

"Hello, Kei, Mizuho. Hatsuho and Maho just got here. Who're your friends?"

"Sousuke and Kaname Sagara, Mr Edajima." Kaname bows as she finishes and nudges Sousuke to drop the salute, giggling. Kinking his eyebrow in amusement, the man grins as he sloppily returns the salute.

"Sagara, huh? Interesting name. What brings you two here?"

"Honeymoon, sir." Sousuke's tone is so crisp and precise, Kaname can't help but give him a light pinch on his arm, still giggling as she does so.

"Relax, Sousuke. No need to go all otaku during our time on honeymoon, honey."

"Roger, sweetie." Bowing, he adds, "Sorry."

Waving it off, the man replies, "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm Kei's Uncle Minoru. Come on in."

Bowing, Kaname replies, "Thank you kindly, sir. Don't mind if we do. We'd been on the road since leaving Tokyo, so we're pretty beat and hungry."

"Oh, Tokyo, huh? Kei's folks live there, in the Shinjuku district. Where'd you leave out from?"

Sousuke softly, yet strongly, replies, "Sengawa, sir." The couple then sees a woman with long black hair and a soft smile, wearing a light blue denim dress, appear in the doorway.

"Dear, the food's getting cold and Maho is starting to get impatient."

"Coming, Konoha." Turning back to the guests, he sees they had removed their shoes already. "Follow me, if you please." As they follow Minoru, they see Certificates and Degrees on the walls. Once they reach the dining area, Minoru begins the introductions.

"Hatsuho, Maho, meet the Sagaras. Sousuke and Kaname, this is Mizuho's Mother, Hatsuho and Mizuho's sister, Maho."

"Hello. How do you do?" Suddenly, Kaname is feeling wary of the younger lady. Very.

Maho, with her green eyes, smiles brightly upon seeing Sousuke and says, "You'd be a perfect fit for my older sister, Sousuke. Just look at the way you carry yourself. Possibly ex or maybe even current Military. That scar, along with your steel-grey eyes, even makes you look tough, rugged and dangerous." Much to Maho's surprise, Sousuke begins chuckling. "What's so funny?"

"That's very kind of you, but I'm already married and we're on our honeymoon, Miss Kazami. It's not a problem." Leaning down into her face, he softly adds, "And I am dangerous. I've seen, endured and done things that would harrow your soul to no end. Your sister's happy with her choice. Any problems, you come talk to me. We'll do it with hand-to-hand combat. With firearms in the mix." The glint in his eyes is enough to make her gulp.

'Just like when I told Kei what I'd do to him if he went near Mizuho. It's coming back to haunt me.' Chuckling nervously, Maho replies, "On second thought, I might as well grin and bear it, then."

Looking over at Mizuho and seeing her frown, she stammers and says, "I better go wash up." With that, she bolts out of the room. Next thing they know, they hear the purple-haired woman chuckling lightly and kindly.

"I apologize for my youngest daughter, Mr and Mrs Sagara. She tends to worry about her older sister quite a bit. At first, she didn't even like Kei." Sighing, she adds, "I thought she'd gotten used to him. I'm Mizuho's Mother, Hatsuho."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh, and so polite. Are you Military, Mr Sagara?"

"Somewhat."

"What are your interests?"

"Fishing, reading, developing new weapon systems and models."

"Oh? What kind of books?" Her left eye twitching, she thinks, 'Weapon systems?'

"Mainly periodicals and technical manuals. Mostly dealing with Arm Slaves." Kaname nods proudly at this and softly squeezes his hand.

"Ask him about any Arm Slave on the planet and he can tell you everything you aren't afraid to ask about." Giving his hand a hard squeeze, she heatedly adds, "Including what you don't ask or want to know about."

'Arm Slaves? Never heard of those. Then again, things change all the time on Earth.' Hatsuho lets out another chuckle as she says, "I take it he goes overboard at times."

"To say the least." Giving Sousuke a soft peck as she releases his hand and pecks it, she softly adds, "I wouldn't have him any other way."

"Anything else for your interests, Mr Sagara?"

"Aside from assassinations, demolition work and the other items, not really."

Intrigued, Hatsuho turns to Kaname and asks, "Is he serious about assassinations and demolition work?"

"Oh yeah. He takes it very seriously. He takes it so seriously, I guess you might even say he practices them religiously. I could tell you stories that will become your nightmares. Be it killing psycho terrorists by using guns, plastic explosives, hand grenades, his bare hands. Even unleashing clothes-eating bacteria..." Turning to look at Sousuke, she sees that his face is beet red. "Sousuke?"

"Just thinking about the last thing you mentioned, Kaname."

"Oh, that." Kaname goes beet red as well before a mischievous smile crosses her lips. "Well, we could always reenact it, only with a different ending. And no bacteria this time, you lunatic!"

"Understood." Mizuho looks at both Sousuke and Kaname and finds herself curious.

"Bacteria that eats clothing?" At their nods, she asks, "Who would be crazed enough to make such a thing?"

"According to an arms dealer that's an old friend of Sousuke's, research has been done to research bacteria that can break down oil and it's products in the event of a spill at sea. Well, some Einstein-wannabe decided to see about adjusting it for military use. With the intent of humiliating the enemy without firing a single shot. Instead of being riddled with bullets, they would have died from embarrassment. Especially if their clothes were made from polyester or nylon. If they were, it's time for them to get naked. If you're exposed, only wear natural fibers. They're the only material that survives."

Hatsuho smiles and says, "That has me interested. But, what does have to do with Mr Sagara?"

"His friend sent him the wrong thing by mistake when Sousuke had ordered a special part for his gun. While he was checking the danger level, there was an incident that preceded it."

Konoha asks, "What happened, Mrs Sagara?" Her eyes going wide, she asks, "Did you just say gun? They're illegal here in Japan!"

"Yep, but he has a very good reason for having it. This lunatic rat of mine, out of the kindness of his heart, set a high voltage trap in a construction zone because he felt someone would damage or sabotage it. Instead, a hapless worker fell right into that trap."

Snickering softly, she adds, "The guy never knew what hit him. He just walked right into that trap without checking around. Obliviousness is worse than ignorance. Right, Sousuke?"

"Affirmative. I see you've been reading the book, Kaname."

"Uh-huh, yep. It's a pretty good book. A real page-turner." Hatsuho leans in for a closer look at Sousuke's face with her green eyes and grins seductively, making Kaname very nervous. "Um, Mrs Kusanagi, I think your Mother's hitting on my husband right now."

"Mother!" Looking over at Kaname, Mizuho can see the blue-haired young woman is glaring at her Mother. "Mother, Mrs Sagara is not enjoying your flirting with her husband at all."

Ignoring Mizuho, Hatsuho asks, "You're a writer as well, Mr Sagara? How nice. Are you any good?" Much to her surprise, Sousuke wryly grins and closes his eyes. 'He's good! He closed his eyes to avoid getting flustered! Plus, his wife's glaring at me!'

"For an amateur, perhaps, Ms Kazami. But my talent is mediocre at best. My actual talents lie in destruction." Shrugging, he adds, "I spent so much time fighting to stay alive, I haven't really been able to take time to pursue non-destructive aspects of life."

"What about fishing? Model work seems to be reasonably safe. And reading periodicals? Those are non-destructive. I'm not too sure about weapon systems."

"Merely survival for the first, Mr Edajima. It later became a hobby for me. As for the models, I discovered the joys of assembling them during the last few weeks of school. Ever since I was eight, I've always been fascinated with weaponry. The reading came later in my life when I came across a chance to do so. There weren't very many book stores in Afghanistan when I was a kid. Especially since I was out in the desert most of the time."

He can barely make out a mirth-filled snort from Kaname. Pondering it, he then thinks, 'I guess it would be kind of funny along with true.' Unable to stop a smile from rising, he lets it show.

Hatsuho smiles at that and asks, "What happened then after the preceding event?"

"One of our classmates had consumed the contents, thinking it was water, unknowingly unleashing the bacteria. For a time, I thought we were all going to die. Mass panic set in when the only vial for the antidote was destroyed. Sousuke had sealed the door as per his operating procedures earlier at the start of the crisis. One of the teachers got so upset with the class, he had ruptured the sealed doors, allowing the bacteria to spread."

Minoru remembers it and grins. "The 'Full Monty Bacteria'. That was your school? Jindai High?" At their nods, he grins even wider and says, "The sight must have been nice, very nice. All those thighs and naked bodies. I'm so very, very jealous that you were there and I wasn't. You're so lucky, I'm so jealous." Suddenly, he flinches in pain when Konoha pinches his thigh.

Konoha then asks, "How'd you manage to stay enrolled, let alone find time to go to school, Mr Sagara?"

"My foster family settled the incident."

"I see. And how did you meet your lovely young wife?"

"I just arrived unexpectedly into her life, Mrs Edajima. It took us a while to acknowledge our feelings for each other. Especially given the things I'd do and done."

"Sousuke, we've been over this countless times. Being through so much can do that to someone. Especially a special guy like you. Sometimes, being overly aware can be both good and bad. It's not your fault things went bad for you so much. You were out of surroundings that you were familiar with." Kaname takes his hand into hers and smiles. "Besides, if anything, you're fun to watch. You make me feel alive."

"Fun to watch? Hmm."

Clenching her other hand into a fist, Kaname snarls, "You mean, that after all this time and we'd been through, you still don't know how to have fun? Sousuke!"

"It could be my idea of fun is different from yours, Kaname."

"Oh, you poor thing. I never thought of it that way." Kaname suddenly grabs Sousuke's head into her arms and pulls him into her chest. "From here on out, I'm going to teach you to have fun, Sousuke. Even if it kills someone. Just as long as it's not you."

His voice muffled, Sousuke replies, "Works for me. Uh, Kaname?"

"Hmm? Yeah, Sousuke?"

"I'm kinda having a hard time breathing."

"Oops." Releasing him quickly, Kaname giggles and blushes upon seeing the imprint of her breasts on his cheeks. "Sorry, honey."

"Not a problem, sweetie." At that, he blacks out. Both from exhaustion and ecstasy.

Maho takes the time to come back in and speak up. "Well, that was fun. Who's for dinner then pocky?"

Miles above the Earth, a frustrated woman is contacting her superiors. "This is Surveillance Officer Ryoko Togama to Command. Do you read me, Command?"

"_Togama, report your status."_

"Found the fugitive, sir. It's like you figured. She came back to Planet Delta-DES8228 and taken up with the life-form she entrusted."

"_Were you able to apprehend her and seal the life-form's memories away?"_

"Negative, sir. I would have, but some nut calling himself 'Roadwolf' got in my way. He even threatened me with a 'Copperhead' missile. Whatever that is."

"_Any description of the individual calling himself 'Roadwolf'?"_

"Negative, sir. The voice came out of nowhere. And I mean nowhere."

"_Could it have been another rogue agent?"_

"Perhaps, sir. Unknown at this time. Request permission to go undercover on Planet Delta-DES8228 and find out."

"_Granted. But, unlike Officer Kazami, you are to be even more discrete. Is that understood, Officer Togama?"_

"Yes sir. Togama, out." Ending communication, Togama thinks, 'Soon, you'll be back where you belong and your little man will forget about you once again. That's a promise, Mizuho.'

Back in the Edajima house, Sousuke opens his eyes and sees his blue-haired, brown-eyed angel hovering above him. Giving her a soft smile, he says, "Hi."

"Hi? Sousuke, you, of all people, passed right out after being pressed into my breasts. Fifteen minutes later, after I get you on the futon, you open your eyes, smile and say hi? Couldn't you have felt embarrassed over what had happened?" Inwardly, she can't help but blush rosily as Sousuke blows her a kiss and she returns it.

"It seems I have a lot to learn still."

"To say the least. But you're learning." Softly stroking his scarred cheek, she pecks it.

"So, what'd I miss?"

"Mizuho asked Mr and Mrs Edajima about Kei's biggest 'standstill'. I figured it'd be best if only family were present, so I had you brought in here so they could have some privacy."

"A sound tactic, Kaname."

"What can I say? You bring out the tactician in me. Just like I bring out the romantic in you." Getting an idea, Kaname stands up and removes her shirt, grinning on the inside. 'It's a good thing I'm wearing a bra. I don't want to send him into overdrive. Yet.' Seeing Sousuke's still lying down, she gives him an exasperated chuckle.

"On your knees, soldier." Once he's on his knees, she gives him his mission. "You are to find and trace every single stretch mark I have and then kiss every inch of every one. Once you're done, I want you to stand up and plant a massive kiss on my lips. Full tongue action. Are we clear, soldier?"

"Affirmative."

With that, he begins softly running his fingers along her belly while she runs her fingers through his hair, wishing for it to be shaggy like it was before. Strangely enough in the past, she had found his mussed up hair, if not mussing it up herself, to be rather erotic. For her.

"One found. Executing command."

Breathing softly, she replies, "Proceed with mission." As he does so, she smiles softly as she gazes down at the top of his head as he kisses her stretch marks. "Oh, your lips feel so good on my belly, Sousuke." Next thing she knows, he starts rubbing her crotch while he kisses her stretch marks. "That's it. That feels so good, baby. Don't stop. Keep rubbing, my love."

"Roger. Hmm, you're getting wet."

"Oh yeah. All for you, honey. All wet for you." The searching, kissing and stroking goes on until he gets up to her lips and lays a massive Frencher on her. "I believe I still owe you a climax, Sousuke." Without further ado, Kaname gets onto her knees, opens Sousuke's trousers and starts sucking on him. While she sucks, he runs his fingers through her long blue locks. All of a sudden, he lets loose into her mouth.

"Hmm, that was good, Sousuke. I guess earlier in Roadwolf did the trick."

"Yeah, I guess it did." Smiling, he then asks, "You like the name, Kaname?"

"I do. It fits rather well, Sousuke. Just like you fit rather well in me." Next thing Kaname knows, Sousuke waggles his eyebrows and she flings them both onto the futon. "Mmm, I love the way you think, Sousuke."

In the dining room, Mizuho and Kei are sitting beside each other. With Maho and Hatsuho sitting on either side of the couple. Facing them are Minoru and Konoha. As they eat, the air before the conversation is tense.

Taking a swallow, Minoru asks, "Are you sure you really want to know? And with Kei here? What if he goes into another 'standstill'? Can you bring him out of it in time, Mizuho?"

"I'll be with him. No matter what, Minoru. Please, Kei. Whatever happens, please don't stop moving."

"Okay, Mizuho."

Minoru clears his throat and begins. "About a year and six months before you arrived into Kei's life, Mizuho, Kei had come out of a three-year 'standstill'. His older sister's death had triggered it."

"His older sister died? How terrible!" Maho's eyes can't help but start shedding tears over the thought of losing Mizuho. "She must have been very special to him. Just like Mizuho is to me!"

Konoha nods and replies, "She was, just like she adored him. It was terrible, Maho. According to the Authorities, Kozue, Kei's sister, may have been feeling depressed and committed suicide. When they found her on the ground, Kozue was dead and Kei was on the school roof. In a 'standstill'. Their parents were devastated."

"She jumped?" Hatsuho's eyes are wide as she takes it in.

Nodding, Minoru replies, "Yes, Hatsuho. She did. Why that was, no one knows. Kei was the only witness. For him, just talking about it would be liable to put him in a 'standstill' as it was witnessing it that put him into that state to begin with."

"What about hypnosis?"

Minoru sighs at the question and replies, "Too chancy, Mizuho. If another 'standstill' happens while he's hypnotized, who knows what'll happen? My sister lost one of her children. I don't think she'd bear to bury another if anything goes bad."

"I see. I guess I have no other option, then."

Concerned, Kei asks, "Mizuho?"

"Minoru, what if there was a way for someone to enter another person's mind?"

"It could work, but you're talking about things not utterly possible. What you're talking about can only be found in science fiction stories."

Looking down toward the table, Mizuho thinks, 'I guess I'll have to seal their memories away after this, then. Who knows what'll happen if he starts blabbing? It's a good thing Kei's not like that at all. I just don't see the familial connection at all, for that matter. Oh well.' Turning her attention back to Minoru, Mizuho begins.

"Mr Edajima, I was once with an organization that monitors various planets inhabited by primitive lifeforms. Kei was the only human that knew about me. Fact of the matter is, Kei and I were married before. I had entered his mind previously to bring him out of a 'standstill'. A very bad one. All your memories of me were sealed away because my former superiors were furious with me. Kei's memories were supposed to have been sealed away as well, but, when he saw me last year, he went into recall. He remembered me and our first marriage."

"Mizuho." Kei takes Mizuho's hand into his and asks, "Are you sure you want to try what you have in mind?"

"I am. But, what concerns me is that hunter. If only we had a diversion."

"Why would you need a diversion, Mizuho?"

"Konoha, the device I have in mind has a traceable power source. If I were to power it up, it'd be like sending up a flare." Hatsuho nods in agreement, knowing what Mizuho has in mind. "It's a calculated risk, but worth taking. That's why a diversion is required."

"If you want a diversion, you've got one." Everyone turns at Sousuke's voice. "I'll buy you as much time as I can. However, I make no promises. With the stealth capabilities of that craft, it'd take a miracle to bring down that ship. Mrs Kusanagi?"

"Yes, Mr Sagara?"

"Is it possible that Marie could update 'Roadwolf's computer database to include the craft your former organization uses?" Sousuke smirks softly as he thinks, 'The name certainly fits. "Roadwolf: Wolf of the road". It's a keeper.'

"Yes, he could. Marie." Upon seeing her link appear, she says, "See if you can update 'Roadwolf's computer with all descriptions of Galaxy Federation craft. This is a Priority One." As soon as she finishes it, Marie processes her request before giving her it's reply. "Sorry, but it appears your system is not compatible with GF technology."

"Well, that's not gonna stop us from buying you as much time as possible. Just gonna have to do it old school, that's all."

Her eyes bulging, Maho asks, "Just how do you intend to buy my sis time, Mr Sagara? And just what is 'Roadwolf' exactly?"

"The car outside. It's the only one in existence, so it should give us an edge at least."

"Mr Sagara, you really shouldn't get involved. You're both on your honeymoon, anyways." Mizuho's then stunned to see Kaname step to Sousuke's side. Her hair completely askew, with her face wearing a fresh glow. 'Jeez, she looks like she'd been freshly done! Of course, I have that look every time Kei and I mate.'

"We understand that. But, my husband has a point. Without a diversion, you're likely to be grabbed up before too long, Mizuho." Her eyes and grin now fiercely feral, she declares, "We fight to survive and win peace for all. That is the way of 'Mithril' and it's noble warriors." Upon finishing, she sees them blinking in puzzlement.

Chuckling nervously, she adds, "My husband is a 'Mithril' warrior. I guess you might say he's rubbed off on me enormously." Accepting Konoha's invitation, the couple sits down and digs right in. Their appetites are so massive, they make Mizuho and Kei's appetites pale by comparison.

"Okay, this is simply too much." Minoru stands up and starts pacing. "First, I find out my nephew and his wife were married before. She then turns out to be an alien." Suddenly, his shoulders slump. "I was so looking forward to seeing you and Kei have children."

"Actually, it is possible, Minoru. I'm part human, after all."

Konoha's eyes go wide as she asks, "You mean, your Father was from here? On Earth?"

"That's right." Hatsuho smiles as she goes on. "In some ways, Kei reminds me of my darling Shirou. We fell in love with each other when his ship was damaged and the Federation rescued him. In fact, I was the one that brought him out of the damaged ship and treated his wounds. Some time later, Mizuho was born. Later, Maho came along. Then Shirou passed on. I was heartbroken, as were Mizuho and Maho. Then, when Mizuho told us her news, I was ecstatic with joy."

Konoha picks up on it and says, "And Maho wasn't happy about it either."

"Well, I was kinda disappointed in who she had selected. But, he did surprise me. Especially when he survived Miruru's blasts. Anyone that can survive Miruru and make my sister happy is okay in my book."

Konoha softly nods and says, "That explains Mizuho. Now, what about 'Mithril'? What exactly is it? Are you both members, Mr and Mrs Sagara?"

"Negative. I'm a Lieutenant in the mercenary unit while Kaname started out as my protection assignment. To this day, she still requires protection. Based on my orders. Our marital status didn't change a thing. Instead, it made guarding her much easier. Plus, she helped me find my kinder side."

"Why does she need protection? You seem like someone that would live an ordinary life, Mrs Sagara."

"For now, Mr Edajima, let's just say some whack-jobs wanted to get their hands on me and Sousuke was assigned to keep them from doing so. No matter what. For that matter, I wish I was ordinary. But, if I was, I wouldn't have met Sousuke or found out about Mithril."

"So someone tried to grab you? That's despicable. I should send Miruru after them. Just say the word and Miruru will vaporize them. They won't dare coming after you again, Mrs Sagara." Next thing Maho knows, Kaname's chuckling lightly. "What's the joke?"

"That's indeed the case, Maho. But, I'm afraid Miruru is just a little too late on that front, though. The guy that tried to grab me the first time out is already dead and toast, his head a trophy on his Commanding Officer's Office wall. In a jar of formaldehyde."

Shuddering in disgust, Maho asks, "A trophy? Ew. That's repugnant. Don't be cracking jokes I can't laugh at." She then turns a pleading expression to Kei and says, "Please tell me she's joking, Kei. Because if she is, then she has a very lousy sense of humor. No, make that extremely lousy."

"I'm afraid it's no joke, Maho. If it was a joke, their faces wouldn't be so grim and serious." Taking note of their grim faces, Maho shudders.

"Good grief. You are serious."

"Indeed. Just three months ago, another attempt was made. Sousuke and another classmate stopped it. As it stands, I'm under his protection still. Only we both get great benefits." Blushing, she adds, "Our son was even born that day."

Turning to see Sousuke's face, she sees it's bright red. "Oh, my poor, darling mercenary. I'll make it up to you. Tonight."

"So, Lt Sagara is a mercenary and a Father? How exciting."

"Uh-huh. That's right, Hatsuho. He's the best of the best." Looking back at him, she sees his blush is still bright. "You are, Sousuke. After all, you're doing a great job with our son. And how many people can destroy an army single-handedly when he has to?" Suddenly remembering one unit he had once worked with being annihilated, she adds, "Never mind. I don't want to think about that crazy baka anymore."

"Nor do I, Kaname. Nor do I." Placing his hand onto hers on the table, he gives her a soft squeeze, adding, "He's dead and ashes now. He can't hurt you or anyone ever again."

"Yep. Courtesy of you and your C-4. I still can't believe you gave your CO his head. Oh well. If anything, it makes a great sedative at least. One look and it's lights out."

"Affirmative. According to Lt Cmdr Kalinin, upon seeing the head, the Tracy couples went unconscious."

"The Tracy couples' rescue? That was Mithril as well? I thought it was Team Hawk and the Thunderbirds."

"The Thunderbirds had a relatively easy role, Mr Edajima. Team Hawk and Mithril did the hard work. Just like in Shanghai, we worked rather well together." Suddenly, he blushes when Kaname seductively smirks at him and winks.

"Oh, yeah. Hard and good work." Feeling warm slightly, he pulls his collar out.

Greatly amused by the interaction, Minoru asks, "What exactly do you do for Mithril, Lt Sagara?" His amusement fades as Sousuke's blush fades. 'Damn, he recovers quickly.'

"I'm primarily an Arm Slave pilot, Mr Edajima. In the past, I've piloted the RK-92 'Savage', the JSDF Type 96, M6 'Bushnell' and the M9 'Gernsback'. There's one other AS that I'm assigned to pilot, but I'm not at liberty to describe it as it is the only one of it's type. However, it can be called for if needed."

Maho grins her shark grin and asks, "What about 'Roadwolf'? You mentioned that one pretty well okay."

"That's because it's here right now. I'm pretty sure the firepower it has will be able to handle it." Sighing, he adds, "It's only too bad our friends in the States were decommissioned. I'm sure they'd love to get in on this."

Kaname puts a hand onto his shoulder and nods. "Yeah. They fought criminals, why not aliens wanting to break up a marriage like theirs?"

Curious, Mizuho asks, "Why were they decommissioned? If you could use the help, they should be able to."

"I'm sure if they could, they would. But, it's out of their hands. They had completed their objective and a dream was realized." Kaname nods in agreement as she takes Sousuke's hand into hers. "These days, decisions are made in the realm of politics. For better or for worse."

Curious, Konoha asks, "What was the objective? And the dream?"

Smiling proudly, Kaname replies, "To shut down the Sho-Da-Kah. And inspire Police forces to do better and get better equipment. Even communities are getting involved. They're quite the influence."

"You're talking about Team Hawk, aren't you? They kicked the Sho-Da-Kah's asses alright. Constantly."

"Affirmative, Mr Edajima. You're very well-informed. It's hard to believe you'd never been in the Intelligence community."

"This may be a small town, but we keep up to date on events. So, what about Team Hawk? Who were they, really?"

Giving Minoru a steely glare, Sousuke replies, "Mr Edajima, the less you know, the better off and safer you'll be. The team consisted of people that have families of their own. People like them and us make enemies that would simply love to eliminate us. If word gets to the wrong people, those families would be in danger. That cannot be allowed. Is that understood?"

"Uh, yes sir." Minoru quietly gulps as he sits back down and trembles. 'His eyes. So cold and inflexible. Like high grade steel. Then again, he is a merc.' Kei notices his Uncle trembling and goes to sit at his side. Before Kei can open his mouth, there's a knock at the door.

"I'd better get that." With that, Konoha goes outside the room, allowing Kei and the others to be alone with their thoughts. "Oh, you're Kei's friends from school. Come on in, please."

"Thank you, Mrs Edajima." The girl's voice is flat, much like Sousuke's is. "We just thought we'd come see how Kei's doing."

As the group enters the room, Sousuke and Kaname see three young ladies. One with black hair, wearing a red and white t-shirt with the word 'lovely' emblazoned on the front and a black skirt, one with red hair, wearing a yellow sun-dress and another with dirty blond hair wearing a simple shirt and shorts. The latter being considerably smaller than the others.

"This is rather unexpected. What brings you here tonight, Miss Kazami?"

"Oh, hello Miss Morino. I'm just having dinner with Kei's Aunt and Uncle. This young couple is about to head out for a hotel. How are you doing tonight?"

"I'm doing fine, Miss Kazami." Noticing Minoru's pale face, she asks, "Um, what's wrong with Mr Edajima? He doesn't look very good."

"He had just heard some of the facts of life, ma'am. It's not a problem."

The smaller one nods and replies, "I see. I'm Ichigo Morino. This is Koishi Herikawa and Kaede Misumi." The black-haired and red-haired young women both bow in greeting.

"I'm Kaname Sagara and this is my husband, Sousuke." Sousuke gives the group a stiff nod as Kaname goes on. "It's getting to be kinda dark. We'd better get going soon."

Koishi nods and replies, "Sorry for interrupting, but Hyosuke and Matagu saw that black car outside and got curious. They're looking it over right now."

Kaname nods and says, "I take it you don't see many cars around here, then."

Ichigo shakes her head and replies, "Around here, people mainly walk to go somewhere or take a train for long distances."

"Well, Kaname and I are on our honeymoon and this is the first stop for our trip. We're going to be here for a few days before we head on out."

Kaede's eyes light up and she snickers. "If you like, there's a hotel just up the road from here. Exclusively for couples. You can't miss it. It's the only castle in the area."

"You're very well-informed. Thank you for the intelligence. It'll help immensely." Kaname can only chuckle in amused exasperation as Koishi and the others look at Sousuke strangely.

"You certainly do speak strangely, Mr Sagara. Are you, perhaps, a warrior or a soldier?" Ichigo looks up at Sousuke's eyes and adds, "You have the eyes of someone that has seen, endured and done so much in so little time. And yet, you're still seeing things for the very first time and going through the motions. Life is a constant battle with you, filled with incredible changes. You're a true survivor." Suddenly, Kaname chuckles.

"She sure got you pegged accurately, Sousuke."

"I'd say she does indeed, Kaname."

Turning her attention to Kaname's eyes, Ichigo goes on. "You have the knowledge that most people can only literally dream of. You're fearless, yet you get scared just as easily and mask it with anger quickly. You nurture your husband, while he watches over you like an ever-vigilant watchman. Like him, you've seen, endured and done a lot. Also like him, you're a true survivor."

Much to her surprise, Sousuke chuckles as he gets onto his knees to look her in the eyes. His steel-grey eyes penetrate her soul, giving her chills. Yet, at the same time, the gaze gives her strength.

"And you have the appearance of someone that's missed so much of life, almost like time was standing still. That's why you have a constantly dour expression. You're very perceptive in all cases." Before he can say anything else, there's another knock at the door. Looking up, he adds, "Must be your other comrades."

"Sousuke, civilian speak only." Sighing in exasperation, Kaname chuckles as Sousuke gets back to his feet.

"Roger."

Kaname can't help but softly giggle, softly bonking her head into the back of Sousuke's left shoulder. Next thing they know, two more teens, both young men, walk in. One with black hair and one slightly taller with blond hair.

The blond haired teen says, "Hey, you guys should check out that car outside. It's a real beaut. It's the latest Celica. Oh, is it yours?"

"Affirmative."

The black haired teen replies, "It's a nice car, sir. Please forgive my friend Hyosuke. He has no tact at times."

"Oh, believe me. I know how you feel. My husband has the worst timing at times with out-to-lunch comments. I'm Kaname Sagara and this is my husband, Sousuke."

The black-haired teen bows and says, "I'm Matagu Shidou and this is Hyosuke Magumo." The blond-haired teen walks over to Sousuke and drapes an arm around his shoulders.

"So, how does she handle?" Next thing he knows, Hyosuke's on the floor, face down, with Sousuke twisting his arm back. Slowly. "Oww, Uncle! Uncle!" Relieved to feel the pressure on his arm released, Hyosuke gets up from the floor and flexes his arm. "You're good." Kaede goes to his side to check him out. "I'm okay, Kaede. He moved quickly."

Unable to hide her scowl and amusement at the same time, Kaname replies, "It handles just fine. And he certainly is and does, given that he's a living weapon. One thing you all should know about Sousuke. If he doesn't know you, he'll react that way. So please don't be all chummy with him until he gets a chance to know you. Many have underestimated him and paid dearly. In terms of Hospital bills."

Mentally, she adds, 'And even on the battlefield, being put into body bags after dying. Or even being detonated.' Subconsciously thinking about Gauron, she gives a shiver. Only Mizuho and the others catch it. Along with Sousuke.

"You all right, Kaname?"

"Yeah. Just a bad memory. That's all." The way she looks at him lets him know it's about Gauron.

"Roger. Well, let's go see about that hotel, shall we? We could use the rest." Kaname nods softly at Sousuke's thought and the couple bows to everyone. "We'll see you all tomorrow."

"Thanks for dinner, Konoha. It was superb. Just as good as my cooking."

"Why thank you, Mrs Sagara. I hope to see you two tomorrow. Miss Kazami, will you be staying for seconds?" As Konoha turns to Mizuho, the Sagaras exit the house and go right to their car.

"No, I better be getting to my place. Mr Kusanagi."

"Yes, Miss Kazami?"

"I expect to see you early in the morning so we can go over that project of yours."

"Kei's doing a project? Why weren't we assigned?"

"It was something he decided to do on his own for graduation, Mr Magumo. You're all more than welcome to do your own projects and submit them."

"Oh, like taking initiative to get a good grade for graduation." At Mizuho's nod, Koishi smiles and says, "I've got just the thing, too."

"Miss Herikawa, you're not going to try copying Mr Yamada's work, are you?"

"Nope. I'm going to ask him if he could help me do an airplane of my own design."

At that, she exits the house and sees Sousuke and Kaname sitting still in their car, with it's engine running, seemingly talking with someone. 'Huh, who are they talking to?' Next thing she knows, the car bolts away, a sonic boom rising in the distance. The air around her is disturbed, prompting her to cover her face from debris.

When the disturbance ends, she says, "Golly. God in Heaven."

Looking down at herself, she sees her skirt had been blown upward, revealing her panties to the world around her. With her face beet red, she shrieks before smoothing down her skirt and stalks off to home. Her mind awash in thoughts. 'That's a very fast car.'

Inside the car, Kaname is laughing over the look on Koishi's face. "I tell you, Sousuke. I've never seen a girl go that red before. Not even myself. That was priceless." Grinning as Sousuke cuts the turbos, she adds, "She'll probably learn to better guard herself."

"I'm sure she will. Just like she'd disagree with you on that being priceless, Kaname. Go on ahead, Lieutenant Commander."

The Russian's visage is visible on the monitor as he smiles and replies,_"I've had Intelligence Division go over that town you're both in. Year before last, UFO was seen in vicinity and quickly vanished. Story died over time, but Mithril had kept story under close observation. If it is indeed true, arrangements must be made to protect Mrs Kusanagi and her husband."_

"Are we talking witness protection of sorts?"

"_Yes, Mrs Sagara."_ Kaname can't help a soft smile upon Kalinin's use of her married name. _"That is indeed case. Even more, Mithril is interested in case of people that have 'standstills'. You say that you have encountered two people that have them?"_

"Affirmative, sir. Mr Kusanagi and I suspect Miss Morino as well."

Blinking, Kaname asks, "Ichigo? Why her, Sousuke?"

"I looked at her eyes, Kaname. They're attached to a much younger face, but they belong to a woman that's missed so much of life due to 'standstills'. It's something I picked up from Sgt Major Mao. Have you found any others, Lt Commander?"

"_No, not yet. Hopefully, those two cases are isolated enough. But, more interestingly enough is origin of disease. Experiment in biological warfare or simple genetics? Much like question about 'Whispered' and where knowledge they possess came from."_

Shuddering, Kaname remarks, "I don't know if I'd want to have something like that in my genes. It's bad enough I'm 'Whispered'. But, something like that? It simply makes my skin crawl. I mean, not aging on the outside, yet aging on the inside? There's something really, really wrong with that."

"_Correct. Which only leaves us with experiment in biological warfare theory. Little over two decades ago, Mithril had once intercepted series of transmissions before sending them through. I'm sending you transcripts now. It could be regarding 'standstills'."_ With that, the elder Russian's visage winks out and is replaced by text.

"**Assignment 'Time-Stop' underway. Used a Hospital Nursery to dose various subjects with injections. Will repeat in three years time, with injections into newborns every three years. Experiment to be observed with great scrutiny."** With the next notation, they notice a time stamp, indicating two and a half years afterward.

"**Side effects noted within subjects of first injection. At a time of high stress, the body will come to a sudden stop, without aging externally, yet aging internally, as time goes by. Suggest refining the serum for the project to safely continue." **The next one is dated six months later.

"**Second injection completed. Two newborn boys injected. Potential for side effects exists."** Next one is stamped a year later.

"**Potential is now fact. Second batch has the same side effect. More refinement is necessary before the next injection."** The next to final one is bloodcurdling, dated years apart from each other.

"**I ordered Assignment 'Time-Stop' halted. Upon being advised of the side effects on the subjects, however, the Project's Sponsor stated that sacrifices must be made. In turn, the project continues. Much to my sorrow, I agreed to stay on. God forgive me."** The couple then sees one more transmission. One with a dire tone and undated.

"**Upon seeing a tragic event unfold, the test subjects invariably shut down for an indeterminate amount of time. A young girl saw her best friend die in an accident within an affluent neighborhood while a young man saw his sister plunge to her death at their school. I've been watching the only two survivors, discreetly. **

**All of the other children that were injected, however, died. Their families, unable to pay for extended life support, had said support terminated. Upon realizing the young man's family was not wealthy, I snuck some funds into their account. With an advisory that it only be used for his life support. I wish I had never gotten involved with this shameful project. It's caused nothing but total heartbreak. Both for the families of the victims and my own."**

Kaname gasps and puts her hands to her mouth in horror, imagining Sousuke Jr being injected with it, along with fighting the sudden urge to vomit and succeeding. Barely. Beside her, Sousuke angrily presses his foot down to the floor, speeding the car up.

"Ending transmission, sir. I don't think I'd care to read anymore of that report. Once you find the source, let me know sir. I'll take that site down. Hard. No matter what." Much to their relief, the text vanishes and is replaced by Kalinin's visage.

"_I don't blame you one bit, Lieutenant. Any Father would be that angry if someone was to do that to their own child. Or anyone else's for that matter." _

Sousuke notices the car's speed and starts easing off. He then gulps and says, "I just can't believe that someone could be so callous as to do that to innocent children."

"_It made Captain Testarossa upset as well, Lieutenant. She was so upset, she started swearing. Some of words are even non-existent. She's swearing so much, it would put Sgt Major Mao's vulgarity to shame. She's even wanting to tie them to doors for flight deck on Tuatha de Danaan and see how long they can hold their breath underwater before drowning and dying. As of moment, she hasn't stopped swearing yet."_

"Sure didn't see that coming. Tessa's usually more verbally reserved. Can anyone say 'sadistically mean much'? Then again, I can't really say I blame her at all." Kaname can't help but smirk, adding, "If she finds a nice enough guy, she'll make a wonderful Mom." She's then surprised to see the tall Russian grin softly.

"_I have no doubt she will, Mrs Sagara. As for others, Sgt Weber is wanting to use 57mm Bofors to snipe with on those responsible and blow their bodies apart. Without benefit of AS around them. Sgt Major Mao wants to tear them apart with her Command M9's hands. Commander Mardukas is even thinking of sending offending party out of torpedo tube or even missile hatch. Tied to either torpedo or cruise missile. He's quite torn, truth be told. As am I."_ For an instant, both teens can see amusement in his eyes.

"I vote tying every single one of them onto a 'Predator' drone, loaded down with C-4 and an impact trigger. Do a series of aerial maneuvers and make them sick to their stomachs before detonating their damn asses and the facility they make that lousy shit in."

"I'm with Lieutenant Lunacy on this one. Make some big ka-booms that way." Her eyes taking a fierce glint, Kaname adds, "We've certainly got more than enough firepower to wipe out that rat hole. Should we ever find it."

"_I'm sure we will, Mrs Sagara. In meantime, both of you enjoy honeymoon and try to relax."_ The Russian's face is now serious, yet still filled with amusement from earlier.

"We'll try to, sir. But, after finding out what we have, it's not going to be easy."

"_I understand and agree, Lt Sagara. Kalinin out."_ With that, the Russian's visage smiles again before it winks off and Kaname reclines against her seat.

"He's right, you know. You both are, Sousuke. I just can't help but shudder over if..." Relieved to feel his hand in hers, she intertwines her fingers with his.

"I know, Kaname. Quite frankly, I find the thought quite disturbingly hostile." His face contorting into anger, he goes on. "Once we find those responsible, we wipe them and the research out. No questions asked, no mercy shown. Matter of fact, I wonder what it'd be like to have them go through a 'standstill' of their own."

"No killing? That's unlike you, Sousuke."

"Well, if you look at it like this, death is simply too good for those criminals. They need to suffer, much like those that have suffered every time they went into a 'standstill'. What could be a better way than to put them in a 'standstill' of their own? Give them a chance to think things over. Cruel irony or poetic justice? I don't know. You tell me, Kaname." Giving her a gleeful grin, he's surprised to see one on her face.

"I'd say it's both, Sousuke. Oh, up on top of that hill there." Kaname gets Sousuke's attention and goes on. "Wow, Kaede was right. It is a castle."

"This is going to be a first for me, Kaname. Never stayed in a castle before."

"Yeah, same with me. In a way, it's kinda like piloting your first AS. Your life was and is still full of firsts. It always will be." Her face going softly pink, she quietly adds, "You were my first sex, Sousuke." Turning, she sees Sousuke's face is pink as well. "Leonard may have kissed me, but he has nothing on you, my love. You're much better than him."

"You were my first time as well, Kaname. I don't count Mizuki since I didn't know what kissing really was."

"What? No way! You did very well after dinner that night in New York. From my perspective, of course." Sighing as Sousuke parks the car, she grabs his head, turns his face to hers and lays a massive kiss on him. "Well, shall we go inside, darling?"

"Affirmative, dear." With that, the couple exits the car and Sousuke brings out their suitcases, Kaname eager to leave the memory of Leonard behind and what he'd done.

"Need any help, honey?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, sweetie. Thanks."

"Well, I can't have you strain yourself before the night's out."

Giving him a slightly predatorial grin, she takes her two bags and wheels them in behind her. As he watches her, he remembers seeing her one bag being filled with very sexy and lacy lingerie in the parking lot of the school before they left Sengawa.

Sighing, he thinks, 'Why do I get the feeling she's going to be the end of me?'

Hoisting his rucksack over his shoulder, he closes the car's doors and secures it. Upon walking inside, he can't help but be impressed by the sheer opulence of the place. Golden light fixtures, fancy and erotic pieces of art and fine tapestries draped along the walls.

'They really went all out here.' Walking up to behind Kaname, he sees her looking at a wall filled with screens depicting the bedrooms.

Turning back to him, she asks, "Which one do you like, Sousuke?"

Stroking his chin as he looks over the pictures, he replies, "I'd suggest the one that'll allow for easy extraction should an attack occur. Maybe that one in the upper corner, right hand side. It seems to be tactically sound enough. It's facing the parking lot, allowing for a rapid escape should it be necessary."

Chortling seductively, Kaname replies, "There'll be an attack all right. But not the kind you're used to, Sousuke. But, you know, that room does look very attractive. It'll work. Lets see. 115." She presses the button and the key card comes out. "Okay. Honeymoon, take one." Next thing she knows, Sousuke begins helping her with her bags.

"I believe it's traditional for the husband to do this during the honeymoon."

"It's also traditional for the husband to be able to please his mate."

"I'm more than up to it." He's then surprised when Kaname pecks his lips.

"You certainly are, Sousuke." Smiling brightly, she leads her husband to their selected room. Upon arrival, Kaname uses the key-card to open the door and giggles as she pulls Sousuke inside. "Action!"

Back in space, Togama is about to head out on her assignment. 'Since Kazami's last assignment was as a teacher, it should be a perfect cover for me to come in as a new teacher's aide.' After making the arrangements, she turns to her wardrobe.

"Can't go around wearing the uniform. Ah, this will do just fine. Gruberi, teleportation to the planet's surface now. This is a Priority One." Once she's on the surface of the Earth, she looks down at her floral print dress and says, "Not bad at all."

Returning her attention to Gruberi, she says, "Keep yourself in geo-synchronis orbit until you get my signal or Kazami begins using any traceable power device on Marie-siel. This is a Priority One." With that, Gruberi vanishes, leaving Togama alone.

'First, find the school she was teaching at. It's highly likely she's teaching there again.' With that, Togama begins walking into town. Upon reaching the school, she finds a man with short-cut hair working on a human-powered aircraft.

"You're too noisy, you know that?" Togama is stunned aghast as the man turns around, a frown on his face. "Whoever you are, you have no business being here. This area is restricted to school personnel or students only."

"You are?"

"Just call me Mr Yamada. I'm the technology teacher here at the school." Yamada steps toward Togama and says, "As for you, unless you have a valid reason for being here, you have two options. Either tell me who you are or come back during the week."

Feeling a surge of confidence, Togama replies, "Ryoko Togama, the new teacher's aide."

"Come back during the week and talk to the Principal."

"Why not tomorrow?"

"No school on the weekends."

"Wow. What a concept. Where I came from, we had school every day. And I mean every." Much to her surprise, Mr Yamada starts chuckling. "What's so funny?"

"In a way, you're like Miss Kazami."

"Miss Kazami? As in Mizuho Kazami?"

"Yep. Unless there's another teacher with such a unique name."

"You know her?" Mentally, she begins crowing. 'Yes! Now I'm cooking!'

"Yep. She's one of the best teachers here. How do you know her?"

"Oh, we went to school together." Shrugging, she mentally adds, 'It's close enough to the truth.' Squaring her shoulders, she takes a look at his plane. "A human-powered flier, huh?"

"Yep. This is the one that took first place last year at Lake Biwa."

Feigning her being impressed, she says, "Wow. The competition must have been minor. It's very well-built." That last part had been spoken truthfully, with her thinking, 'For a primitive life-form, that is.'

"Thanks. Not really, though. There was another flier. It's construction was just about the same as this one, only it was made with better materials."

Now truly intrigued, she asks, "Then how'd you win?"

"My behind the scenes MVP. She brought me my daily lunch from the store her family runs." Suddenly yawning, Mr Yamada says, "I've done all I can for the night. I'll come back in the morning and work on it some more."

"What about no school?" Puzzled, Togama steps out with Mr Yamada and watches him close the door.

"Just because there's no school, there is no reason to fall behind on your work. Night."

"Good night, Mr Yamada." As the teacher walks away, Togama sighs and thinks, 'I think I understand why Mizuho chose to come back here. Given it's part of her heritage, humanity is interesting to examine. Especially Mr Yamada. Even though he seems to be a little, no, make that extremely odd.' Letting out a slight giggle, she starts walking away.

Stepping away from the school, her thoughts turn introspective. 'Just before I attacked, I saw her running beside the human she had fallen in love with. In some ways, it reminds me of her Mother's story. Maybe there's something about their physiology that draws us to them.'

"Gruberi." Upon the command, her link, a green construct with a wiry tail, appears in front of her. "Tell me everything about Mizuho Kazami's initial assignment and her reports. Including that of one Kei Kusanagi. This is a Priority One." Gruberi salutes and displays the information.

"Interesting. When she appeared before Command, she had an objection. Saying something about an honorable wife protecting her husband from danger. Stemming from her entry into his mind. Hello." Upon reading Mizuho's report on Kei in particular, a tear falls from her left eye before it dries up on her cheek.

"I understand, Mizuho. But you still violated orders. Perhaps, when I bring you in, they'll be able to help Kei with his condition. And all others like him. Gruberi, any signs of activity from Marie-siel?" At Gruberi's negative reply, she says, "Very well. Return to the ship and continue monitoring. This is a Priority One." Finding a spot nearby, she goes to sleep, wondering how it went sideways between she and Mizuho.

As Hatsuho and Maho walk alongside Kei and Mizuho, Maho grins sneakily and asks, "So Kei, when can I expect to be an Aunt?" Upon hearing him stumble, Maho chuckles meanly. "Still keeping the lovey-dovey down some, huh?"

"Actually, Maho, Kei and I are still quite lovey-dovey with each other. We're even about to do something to accommodate your wish to be an Aunt. Marie." Upon seeing her link appear, Mizuho says, "Transport Kei and I to our home. This is a Priority One."

Upon seeing them vanish, Maho suddenly yawns and Hatsuho laughs softly. "Looks like someone stayed up late watching Kei and Mizuho. I believe you're still too young for it, Maho. It's a good thing Kei's classmates went home already."

"Yeah, I know. Miruru, teleportation now. This is a Priority One."

Inside their shared apartment, Kei and Mizuho get ready for bed.

"Mizuho?" Mizuho looks up at Kei and smiles softly upon seeing him.

"Yes, Kei?"

"What you have in mind. Will it be safe for both of us?"

"It is. But, you have to be unconscious through it all. One of the things my Father taught me, before he died, was how to minimize the pain others suffered. I haven't done it in a long time, however. So I may be a bit rusty."

Giving her a kiss, he softly grazes her breast and replies, "I trust you, Mizuho."

"And I trust you, Kei."

Softly wrapping her arms around him, she gives him a soft kiss as he slips her pink lingerie off before entering her. As the two make love, Mizuho gently strokes his back, just as her orgasm strikes. Kissing Mizuho softly as he pumps her, he goes down to her breasts and sucks on her nipples. Just as his essence rushes into her.

Inside their hotel suite, Sousuke and Kaname are looking at each other intently, debating on the inside the universal question. 'What side of the bed do I sleep on?'

Pondering, Sousuke thinks, 'Facing the doorway, I'd have a clear shot at the intruder. But, if a window attack is to happen, Kaname could be grabbed.' Little does he realize that Kaname has the same thought, along with something else in mind.

"Come on, Sousuke. Let's do what you used to do. Sleep under the bed. Use the pillows, shape them like bodies in an intimate position."

"That sounds good enough. If there was a closet in here, we could lay in ambush and come out of the closet when the intruder's dead."

"Sousuke?"

"Yes, Kaname?"

"Please never use that expression again. 'Come out of the closet'? Sounds like an announcement for something else altogether. Combine that with 'Lay in ambush' and 'Dead', we get something totally twisted."

"Sorry, Kaname." Kaname can't help but feel down at his downtrodden tone.

"No, Sousuke, no. It's not your fault. You're still doing your best. Matter of fact, that did sound kinda funny. If it had been anyone else that heard it, their reaction would have been very disturbing." Smiling softly, she takes down her shorts, removes her shirt and says, "I've always wanted to make love on the floor, Sousuke. Be it lying down on it. Or..."

Stepping toward him, she softly whispers, "With you standing up, holding me up against the wall as you fuck me silly." Once she's in front of him, she takes his hand into hers and places it between her bra-covered breasts.

Leaning in to give Sousuke a kiss, she slowly closes her eyes while Sousuke does the same. Upon contact, Sousuke lifts his giggling wife off of her feet and carries her over to the bedside.

"You sure you don't want to be on the bed for this, Kaname?"

"I'm sure, Sousuke. I'm sure." Kissing him again as they descend to the carpet-covered floor, Kaname lets out a giggling moan as she feels Sousuke's erection against her crotch. "I see someone's excited about the honeymoon."

"There is so much in life I haven't had a chance to enjoy before. Life itself in particular." Sighing sadly, he adds, "All I had going for me was fighting the good fight." His face suddenly brightening, he says, "Then I entered your life."

"Hmm, I'd say we entered each others' lives, Sousuke. But I get your meaning." Giving him another kiss, she says, "The good fight is always needed. After all, the only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing at all." Softly and lovingly grazing his scar, she adds, "Sousuke, you are a Type A personality. You became one the instant your parents were killed. Leonard Testarossa is a psychotic terrorist wannabe asshole."

Any further speech is cut off as Sousuke wraps his lips around hers. As they kiss passionately, Kaname feels her panties being brought down and reaches to bring Sousuke's trousers down. As she does so, she licks her lips in anticipation of catching a glimpse. Much to her surprised delight, he's wearing nothing underneath.

"If you'll pardon the expression, I see you're going 'Commando' for the time being. I thought I felt a lack of briefs earlier in Roadwolf." Suddenly giggling, she gives Sousuke a quick peck as she wraps his member in a condom before bringing him down into herself. "Let's make some happy memories, Sousuke. Forget Leonard and all that he did."

"Roger." With that, he kisses his wife as he starts pumping her.

As he pumps her, Kaname removes her bra, allowing her breasts to bounce freely with every pump. Glad she had taken the precaution of wrapping him, Kaname gives him a soft moan as he continually pumps her. They both feel their orgasms come on and ride out the ebb of passion together as Sousuke unleashes his load into the condom and softly kisses Kaname.

"Hmm, now that was a good honeymoon start, Sousuke."

"Hmm, affirmative." Pulling out of her, Sousuke removes the condom and wraps it in toilet paper before returning to Kaname's side, intent on only sleeping. Giving his wife a soft kiss, he says, "Good night, Kana-kun."

Returning it, she replies, "Good night, Sous-kun."

The next morning, Kei wakes up to find Mizuho asleep in his arms and nude, wearing a soft smile on her face. Giving her a soft kiss, he smiles as she opens her eyes.

"Good morning, Mizuho."

"Good morning, Kei." Mizuho gives him a quick kiss and grins upon feeling him brush several strands of stray hair from her face.

"How are you feeling?"

"Hmm, deeply fulfilled. You?"

"The same. On your planet, how long does it take to conceive a child?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but I think our gestation periods are the same as regular humans."

"How long is that?"

"Nine months."

"Yep. It's the same with regular humans." Mizuho giggles as she kisses Kei again. "What time do you want to head out?"

"The sooner, the better. I just hope Mr and Mrs Sagara will be able to carry out their role in all this."

"Agreed." As they dress, Kei asks, "Just what exactly does it entail, Mizuho? The procedure, I mean."

"Let's see. I get naked, strip you naked and mount you, joining your mind and mine together. While we're joined, you pump me silly." Upon seeing his red face, she giggles and adds, "Just kidding. Although that is one place I'd like to try making love."

"Maybe after we get done. Unless you want to try a quickie when we get there before we begin."

"Oh, could we? That sounds like a lot of fun." Mizuho giggles upon seeing him go red again before he starts chuckling as well. Once they're dressed, Kei exits the door, with Mizuho saying, "I'll be two minutes behind you."

"Okay. See you later."

"Bye." Upon hearing the door close, Mizuho thinks, 'I think we may have conceived. Which means I'll have to wait for at least a week, just to be sure. I'm already feeling tired.' Yawning, she verbally adds, "Then again, I'm probably just tired still. Kei did keep me up all night last night." Upon checking her watch, she nods and says, "It's time to go."

Walking out of the apartment and closing the door, Mizuho starts wishing she could have used the long-range teleportation. But, recalling that the long-range teleporter has a traceable power supply, both she and Kei agreed it'd be better to simply walk to where Marie-siel was ensconced. 'It's such a beautiful day today to walk anyway.'

As he walks, Kei looks up at the sky and smiles at the sunshine in the distance. "Kei? Kei Kusanagi?" His bright mood is then quickly shattered upon recognizing the voice, prompting him to stop. "It is you. I finally found you after two years of searching. You look well, Kei." For an instant, he could hear a hint of relief and regret.

"Yuriko. Yuriko Tanaka." Turning around, he sees one of his supposed 'friends' from back home. Giving her a quick nod, he coldly says, "You certainly don't look any worse for wear. Now that you found me, you can go home and just forget you found me."

The slender, short-cut raven-haired young woman in front of him frowns at the coldness in his words and says, "Aww, come on, Kei. You're still not sore, are you?"

"Kinda hard not to be sore. Especially since you and the others started backstabbing and making fun of me!"

Rolling her eyes, Yuriko then says, "Kei, come on. It was the only way for me and the others to cope with what had happened to you. Especially since Kozue.."

"Don't you say it! Don't you ever say her name again! Only my friends can use her name!"

Jabbing her right thumb into her chest, Yuriko hotly retorts, "Dammit, I am your friend, Kei!"

"If you were my friend, you wouldn't have started laughing at me and backstabbing me!"

Grunting, he turns away from her and says, "This is why I left Shinjuku. For a clean start. No one except my Aunt and Uncle, save my friends within my classmates, know about my condition." Feeling a sudden urge to be wicked, he goes with it. "Even my wife knows about my 'standstills'. She's very caring. Compared to you and the others."

"Wife? You're married?" Yuriko can't take it anymore and starts laughing. "I can't believe it. You, of all the people in the world unlucky enough to get 'standstills', married? This is simply too rich!"

"And just what is wrong with Kei being married?" Yuriko stifles her laughter and turns around to see an attractive, yet seething, pink-haired woman wearing glasses. "You must be one of Kei's old 'friends'. I have something for you."

Next thing Yuriko knows, the woman slaps her. Hard.

Wincing in pain, Yuriko asks, "What was that for? I only wanted to find him."

"I suggest you go back home and leave Kei alone. He doesn't need people like you in his life. Like he said, you can just forget that you found him."

"What's it to you? Even more, I've been looking for him for a little over two years! There's no way I'm going to simply forget about him!"

"I'm his wife! I'd say you wasted your time! If he doesn't want to see you, then he doesn't want to see you!"

"Okay, where's the camera at? This is a joke, right?" Turning back toward Kei, she sees that he's serious. "It's not a joke, Kei? You're dead serious? You're really married?"

"No joke, Yuriko. I may have been in a 'standstill' for three years, but I'm now 20 years old. I just don't look it, is all. This is my wife, Mizuho."

"Kei, if you don't come back, I'll tell the others and they'll come see you. Can you really hold out under the pressure? I know how you get when you're stressed, Kei."

"Forget it, Yuriko!" Yuriko is so startled at Kei's angry shout, she shies back, only to bump into a very-equally-angry Mizuho. "You and the others made me sick. You never took the time to welcome me back into the world when I came out of my 'standstill'. You snobs just made me feel worthless. I want nothing to do with you or the others. Tell them that."

With tears starting to flow freely from her eyes, Yuriko retorts, "Kei, I'm not leaving until I clear this up. The only reason we made fun is to distract ourselves from the tragedy of her death. We knew it would have been a sore spot for you. So, we covered it the best way we can. On behalf of the others and myself, I apologize to you, Kei. We didn't mean to hurt your feelings. When you left, we felt terrible. Hanoske, Shiori, Sakura. All of us. Shiori took your leaving the hardest, for crying out loud! She had a..." Starting to sob as she talks, Yuriko finds herself cut off as Kei interrupts her.

"If you hadn't started, I would have stayed. You all have to live with the aftermath. Not me. In short, it's your problem, not mine."

Next thing they know, Yuriko, her body jerking with sobs, starts running away from them, her eyes heavily flowing with tears. As she runs away from them, Kei turns to Mizuho and sighs.

"I blew it, didn't I?"

Shaking her head softly as she approaches him, she replies, "No, you didn't. She blew it the instant you told her you were married. But I believe she truly wanted to make amends for what had happened. I believe she still does." Cupping his face softly, she starts shedding tears. "Humanity can be so cruel with itself at times, can't it?"

"Yeah, it can, Mizuho. I'd say it's too late for us."

"No Kei. It's not too late. Why, if more people were like you, the world would be a much better and happier place."

"You sure about that?"

"Oh yes. After all, you don't have a mean bone in your body."

"I don't know. That seemed to be pretty mean to me."

"She had it coming, Kei."

"Yeah, I guess so. In a way, it kind of gave me some kind of vindicated closure." Giving her a soft kiss, he sighs and says, "The sooner we can get this done, the better. Even more, I don't think I'd want to remember what had happened just now."

"Agreed. And quite understandable. We'll have to chance a teleportation. Marie, teleport us to the med-bay. This is a Priority One." Once the couple vanishes, a concealed Togama exits the covering bushes and muses thoughtfully.

'If I can convince that Earth girl that Kei was influenced, she'll be able to make her amends to him. While he and Kazami are separated, I can grab Kazami without a problem.'

Out loud, she says, "Gruberi, center me on the location of the one known as Yuriko Tanaka. This is a Priority One."

At the train station, five minutes later, Yuriko is crying her eyes out as she sits outside the closed train station. The sign on the door says, 'Will return at noon.'

As she cries, she thinks, 'I failed. It's all my fault. I should have never volunteered for this. But, Shiori was so devastated when he left her behind. I mean, she had a massive crush on him! Heck, she still has a crush on him. But, I had to choose the worst possible way to cope with what had happened to him. Even more, I just had to make it worse by letting them get in on it. I don't blame him at all.'

"You okay?" Blinking, her blurry eyes make out a woman with long orange hair and wearing a blue floral print dress sitting down beside her. "You look like you're in pain."

"The worst. I spent the last two years trying to track Kei down to make amends and what does he do? He throws it right back at me. Of course, I can't say I blame him. Especially with what we had put him through."

"Why'd you track him down to make amends?"

"For making fun of him after he came out of his coma."

"How long was it?"

"Three years. He was in that state ever since his sister, Kozue, died. Here's the kicker. On the outside, he had never even aged. Inside, however, he did. Right now, he's twenty years old and married to a beautiful woman. Matter of fact, his wife slapped me. Very hard."

"I've never heard of something like that."

"That's because it's the only case I know about. It's actual name is 'standstill'. Ever since he was a kid, he's had this disease that would freeze his body up anytime he felt depressed or stressed out. He gave us some very bad scares when he wouldn't even be breathing. When we found out, we tried to be understanding. But then, Kozue died and Kei went into a 'standstill' for three years."

Wincing in sympathy, the woman says, "Something like that would be depressing and stressful."

"We all took turns at his bedside, pleading for him to open his eyes. It took him three years to do so. When he woke back up, he still looked fifteen, but he was actually 18. He had such a hard time keeping up with our conversations. That was when we started making fun of him. To mask our pain and sorrow."

Starting to sob again, she goes on. "Some friends we turned out to be! We drove him away from us! One day, he just disappeared! Shiori was so devastated, she even considered suicide! But, she remembered Kozue and decided she'd live on, wanting to make amends to Kei! To this day, she has a massive crush on him! If I tell her he'd gotten hitched to someone other than her, she'll probably have a heart attack from the sheer shock of it all! The others expressed their desire to do so as well, along with me! So, I volunteered, thinking Kei'd be receptive at least! It was six months after he left us!"

As she wails, the woman wraps a tentative arm around her and holds her. "When I finally found him after two years and tried to make amends, he just dismissed me! Like I was nothing to him!" As Yuriko's body shakes in sobs, the woman softly pats her back.

"Sometimes, painful experiences like that are hard to forgive. Especially if it's someone you know. I've been there a couple of times, but I always had someone with me to ensure I didn't up and do something incredibly dumb. It doesn't take the pain away, but it does help. A man once said that 'Time heals all wounds'. It could be that Kei's wounds from your friends' taunts haven't healed over yet."

With a self-loathing tone, Yuriko replies, "Oh, there's no 'could be' about it. When I looked at his eyes, I only saw anger, disappointment, rejection and a smattering of hatred. Not that I can blame him one bit, especially with what we had put him through." Sniffling, she adds, "I'm so sorry. I'm spilling my guts out to you and I don't even know who you are."

"Ryoko Togama."

"Yuriko Tanaka." The two women exchange a handshake as Yuriko's eyes keep dripping tears.

Bringing out a handkerchief, Togama hands it to Yuriko. As the young lady blows her nose and dabs her eyes dry, Togama then looks around before turning back to Yuriko.

"Ready for Round 2?"

"Round 2? Are you kidding me? If I go anywhere near him again, who knows what he'd do? Quite frankly, if he wanted to kill me, I wouldn't blame him one bit."

"I have an objective here, so I'll be brief. His wife is a fugitive from Justice. He could very well be in danger." At Yuriko's shocked gasp, Togama nods and goes on.

"She's done this kind of thing before. She left him after she married him, erased his memories of her and, upon returning to him, married him again. If she's to leave him again, it could very well put him in a 'standstill'. One that could very well be permanent. If I can get her away from him and erase his memory of her, he won't go into one."

"That's, that's horrible! Is she dangerous?"

"She was taught fighting skills by the Grand Masters at our Academy. She was top of the class while I was a close second. You do the math."

"I've got to warn him!" Before Yuriko can get up, she finds herself being restrained. "Let me go! Please!"

"You can't just go off half-cocked! Sit back down!" Once Yuriko had retaken her seat, Ryoko goes on. "Look, I admire your spunky spirit, but you need to develop a plan first, Yuriko. Then, you go for it."

"Okay."

"There's something else, too."

"What is it?"

"I had a little trouble yesterday. Before I can split the two up, I was thwarted by an unknown assailant."

"An accomplice?"

"Possibly. Therefore, I want you to find the accomplice and stop him. Here's the information I managed to get hold of." Handing Yuriko a sheet of paper, she sits back as Yuriko reads, reclining against the bench.

"Very strange name. 'Roadwolf'. Sounds like something someone would name a vehicle." Suddenly, her eyes go wide and she jolts forward. "He threatened you with a Copperhead missile? That's one of the deadliest missiles in the U.S. arsenal."

"U.S.?" Blinking uncomprehendingly, Ryoko asks, "What's that mean?"

"United States. I can't believe you don't know the initials for another country. Chances are, Roadwolf is an American. He could very well be her American counterpart." Frowning as she looks the paper over, she says, "It's too bad you couldn't get more details about him."

"American, huh? Must have missed that day's lessons then. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been in second at graduation. Well, like I said, he wasn't very easy to see." Once Yuriko gives her answer, Togama thinks, 'Gotcha now, Kazami!'

Inside Marie-siel, Mizuho and Kei are within the Medical bay and Kei gets onto one of the beds. Straddling him, Mizuho gently lies him down as she kisses him passionately. Checking her watch, she nods at the idea they can do a quickie. Stripping herself nude, she watches Kei strip himself nude as well.

Upon seeing his erection, Mizuho decides to try sucking on him. When she gets her lips around his member, she starts bobbing up and down, with Kei running his fingers through her hair. Next thing they both know, he climaxes into her mouth. Turning her on, she proceeds to mount him.

As the couple copulates, Mizuho pictures herself carrying Kei's children and loving it. Upon feeling him explode into her, she looks and notices that he's out cold. "Well, I guess that's one way of rendering oneself unconscious without having to go into a 'standstill'. Even if I'm not the one that has them."

Putting on her sleeveless spacesuit, she hurriedly redresses Kei and softly pecks his cheek. "Thanks for the pump, my love. Now all we gotta do is wait for Lt and Mrs Sagara to arrive."

At the hotel, Sousuke and Kaname wake up beside each other and smile softly as they rise up from the floor. "Mmm, that was a nice start for our honeymoon, Sousuke."

"Indeed." Looking along her slender form, he softly squeezes her breast as she strokes his member, adding, "Very nice start, indeed." Blushing, Kaname gives Sousuke a soft kiss as she starts picking up their clothes.

"So, what'll we wear today, Sousuke?"

"I suggest fatigues, Kaname. After all, we're doing diversion duty while Mrs Kusanagi has a chat with Mr Kusanagi's mind and contends with his most painful memory."

"Oh yeah. That's right. Okay. Fatigues it is, Sousuke. We'll come back afterward, return to the room, get onto the bed and make some more memories."

"Hmm, I love that plan." As he brings the fatigues out of his rucksack, he asks, "What would you like to do at the next stop?"

"I'm thinking maybe scuba diving. In the buff." Upon hearing Sousuke slam down, stunned, into the floor, Kaname softly giggles. "Yeah, that sounds good. Scuba in the buff in Okinawa. Kim told me that she and Ron even had sex underwater while in L.A. That's certainly got me interested. Then we go to the Onken and soak together in the hot natural springs together. Maybe even spend time in the open-air bath, fucking each others' brains out. We can even fuck each others' brains out while we soak in the springs."

Walking over to a now-unconscious, grinning and blood-soaked Sousuke, she plucks the fatigues out of his hand and smirks as she puts them on. 'Guess he likes the idea.'

Fifteen minutes later, a cleaned-up Sousuke and grin-bearing Kaname exit their room and head out to Roadwolf. As they open the doors, they give each other a nod just before getting in. As Sousuke starts the engine, Kaname positions her seat and begins the checklist, with Sousuke reading the items off.

"Main power on."

"Check."

"Weapons."

"Check."

"ECS."

"Check."

Sousuke checks off the items as he grabs the gear selection lever and puts the car into 'Reverse'. Wheeling the car around to face the exit, he puts his monocle on, signaling for Kaname to do the same.

"Checklist complete. We're good to go, Sousuke."

Putting the lever into 'Drive', he replies, "Roger. Hitting the turbos."

Tires screaming, the powerful sports car quickly exits the parking lot and heads for where they had met Kei and Mizuho. As they drive along, Kaname looks around and wishes she had the camera with her, instead of leaving it in the room. In her handbag. Suddenly, she realizes something important.

"Sousuke, aren't you going to activate the ECS?"

"Negative. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to be the diversion."

"Sousuke, if they get a lock on us, we're as good as dead."

"Not if we get them first, Kaname."

Shaking her head in disbelief, she remarks, "I hope we make it through this, Sousuke. I really do. I want to see our baby again, for crying out loud."

"If it makes you feel any better, I hope we do too, Kaname. I want to see our baby again as well."

"It's not exactly a consolation, but it'll do."

As she walks along the pathway to Kei's house, Koishi turns around upon hearing a car's engine. Catching sight of the Sagaras' car, she then waves before noticing it's speed and suddenly remembers what had happened the previous night. Upon the memory, she shrieks.

"Oh no! My skirt!"

Holding her skirt down with both hands, she waits for the car to blow past her. Sure enough, it does. Only the shockwave winds up knocking her over backward. As she tumbles head over heels backward, she grunts painfully. Once she's stopped tumbling, she sits up and rubs her head.

"Oww. Golly. God in Heaven."

Getting back up, she starts walking in the direction of the car's heading, intent on giving a lunatic driver named Sousuke a piece of her mind. 'If I had the authority, I'd drive that car like he did and see how he likes being knocked over like a damn bowling pin!'

In the back of Roadwolf, an amused Kaname shakes her head and says, "We just blew Miss Herikawa away. Literally, Sousuke."

"That poor girl." Kaname notices the equally-amused grin in his voice and smirks as well.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Don't hate the player, hate the game."

Rolling her eyes as she checks the monitor, Kaname retorts, "I think I'd rather suck the player off. Cut the turbos, Sousuke. We're getting close to the coordinates that we first met Mr and Mrs Kusanagi at."

"Roger."

As the couple feels the car slowing down, Sousuke chances a look back toward Kaname and sees her blow a kiss to him. Returning it, he turns back in time to see Mizuho materialize in front of Roadwolf, wearing a black, cleavage-revealing, sleeveless wetsuit-like garment. Bringing the car to a stop, he puts it in park and removes the monocle as he exits, making his way to her.

"You about ready, Mrs Kusanagi?"

"I am, Lt Sagara. Kei's out like a light already. However, we had a minor incident earlier."

"What kind?"

"One of Kei's supposed 'friends' from back home in Shinjuku. It's a long story, but, essentially, after Kei came out of his three-year 'standstill', they weren't very friendly. They taunted him mercilessly. As a result of his leaving them, they now desire to make amends. Two years later, no less."

"I take it they tracked him down."

"Yes, one of them. Yuriko Tanaka. I had never felt so angry in my life before."

"If it happened, only thing you can do is get through it." Making to turn back toward Roadwolf, he says, "The diversion's still on."

"Lt Sagara?"

"Yes, Mrs Kusanagi?"

"Did you ever kill someone you truly hated and was despised by at the same time?"

"Affirmative. His name was Gauron. He was the worst terrorist I had ever come across. He's the one I had detonated."

"I'd like to hear more about that when this is all over." Next thing they know, the same voice from the previous day speaks up. With the source nowhere in sight, and dust starts flying all around them.

"_On the contrary, let's hear about it now! Because it's all over now, Kazami!"_

Running back to Roadwolf, Sousuke yells, "Kaname, chain guns one and two!"

Back inside, Kaname growls, saying, "Just once, I'd like for there to be no damned sneak attacks!" Pressing the buttons, she adds, "Let's show them what you're made of, Roadwolf." For a slight instant, she could swear she had heard a light growl coming from the car. 'Whoa. Now that's really fucking weird.'

Upon seeing the chain guns deploy, Sousuke quickly gets in and opens fire upon closing his door on where the voice had come from and the dust settles onto. Much to his shock, the bullets bounce back and Mizuho had hit the dirt upon hearing him call for the guns. Miraculously enough, none of the rounds hit her.

"_So that's what the 'Roadwolf' looks like. It'd be a pity to destroy such a magnificent machine. Your puny, primitive weapons, however, are no match for my ship's hull!"_

"ADF pod?"

"ADF pod."

"On it." Upon the pod's deployment, Kaname smirks and says, "We may get to use that Copperhead after all."

"Affirmative." Next thing he knows, he sees a young woman get into the line of fire. "I can't get a clear shot." Activating the car's external speaker, he says, "Ma'am, you have until the count of five to move before I open fire."

"No! I won't let you! She's doing her job to bring a criminal to Justice!"

"She's not a criminal. Maybe to them, but not to her heart."

"No! I won't accept it! My friend is in danger from her! I intend to save him!"

Sighing, he replies, "Mrs Kusanagi, proceed. We'll handle it from here."

Mizuho nods and vanishes, just as explosions start happening around where she was lying at. Along with coming close to hitting the young woman. The young woman then looks back toward the spot and back again to Roadwolf and makes a judgment call. Turning back toward the invisible craft's dust field, she starts yelling.

"You betrayed me! You said you wanted to help, but you only wanted to ruin Kei's life! You tried to kill her! You even tried to blow me apart, you sadistic bitch!"

"_It's not a good idea to talk back to me, human!"_

Letting go of a pulse blast, the voice laughs maliciously. Just as Koishi hurtles herself into the young woman's side, propelling the both of them clear of the path. Only Roadwolf is caught up in there. As the car shakes and the alarms blare, Kaname screams.

"Sousuke! We're being tossed around like a salad! If you're going to fire, do it now!"

"Roger. Firing!" Firing the missile, he watches it head right for just above the offending craft's lower profile and it explodes upon impact. The craft's cloak then fades away, revealing it's form. Green and blue, with splashes of yellow and red.

Smirking on the inside, he thinks, 'Damn, that's an ugly-ass ship. Tough, but ugly!'

On her ship, Togama is stunned. "How could that primitive weapon have damaged my cloaking device? It's simply not possible! Gruberi." Once her link appears, she says, "Begin repairs to the ship's cloaking device. This is a Priority One." What happens next, she doesn't tolerate very well.

Back inside Roadwolf, Sousuke feels the urge to be rude and goes with it. "Like I told that terrorist with A-21 one night, licking your chops in front of the enemy is something only a third-class soldier would do. You want Mrs Kusanagi, you'll have to go through us first."

"_I don't see any real problem with that, Roadwolf!" _Her voice comes back with incredulous disbelief upon realization that she had just been insulted. _"You dare to call me third-class? How dare you, Roadwolf!"_

"Miss Herikawa, get the lady out of here! We'll handle it!"

Koishi blinks at the use of her last name, but acknowledges it with a nod. Just as a bright blueish-white light surrounds them both. When it fades away, they're nowhere in sight.

Blinking in disbelief, Sousuke asks, "Kaname, where'd they go?"

"Not sure, Sousuke. I just hope they're nowhere near that wacko."

Rapidly turning Roadwolf around, he says, "Roger. Hitting the turbos." As the car speeds away and shrieks, Sousuke calls out, "You want us, come get us, you shithead!"

"_Why you!"_

Gruberi-siel's engines thrum angrily as they are pushed to match Roadwolf's speed. Inside her control seat, Togama scowls at having to struggle to match his speed.

'I'll give him this much. His vehicle's fast. But not quite fast enough!' Firing a Galaxy Federation-issued missile, she directs it.

"_Take this, Roadwolf!"_

In the back, Kaname gets the missile warning. "Sousuke, we have an inbound missile! Six o-clock! Make unknown and must belong to the GF! Impact in ten seconds!"

"Pop a chaff and pray it works."

Hitting the button, Kaname replies, "Chaff and prayer." Hearing the blast and feeling the ground vibrate behind them, Kaname grins wryly and says, "It took the chaff, but it was way too close for comfort. Did you hear that shriek? I'm sure it came from the car."

"Roger and affirmative. But, we'll have to do something about her. The car can wait."

"Agreed. For now, let's just enjoy this drive in the country. It's a cool shriek, though." The couple exchanges a laugh, while Gruberi-siel begins firing pulse blasts at them.

Inside her cockpit, Togama scowls, asking, "Shithead, am I? Once I get you knocked over, I'll show you who the shithead is!" Scowling still, she remarks, "I still can't believe they were able to divert the missile. Pity I have to destroy it, otherwise the scientists back home would be able to examine it. The technology on that car's impressive. For a bunch of primitives."

Meanwhile, Koishi opens her eyes and sees Mizuho, wearing a cleavage-revealing black garment resembling a sleeveless wetsuit. "Miss Kazami?"

"Hello, Miss Herikawa. I know this may be a surprise to you. But, please, bear with me on this. Marie, transport us to the med-bay. This is a Priority One!" Upon arrival in the med-bay, Koishi sees the lady she had rescued and Kei on the beds.

"What's Kei doing here?"

"I'm helping him with his problem, Miss Herikawa. After all, I'm his wife." The revelation simply blows Koishi's mind, rendering her stunned. Upon coming out of it, Koishi blinks and shakes her head. "You know about his 'standstills', especially his sense of loss the earlier year."

"Yes, but what does that..." Suddenly, Koishi's eyes go wide in shock. "You were here before, weren't you?"

"Yes, but I was recalled to my home planet and your memories of me sealed away. Along with the memories belonging to Kei and the others." Stepping toward Kei, she goes on. "I need to enter Kei's mind, so I can confront the memory that causes him so much pain. The pain that causes him to go into 'standstills'."

"What could it be, though?"

Giving Kei a soft kiss on his lips, she replies, "I have a hunch. I'm going to play it. While I'm inside, talk to Kei. Let him know he's not alone."

"Okay. What about her?" Nodding her head toward Yuriko, Koishi says, "She's in pretty bad shape."

Frowning, Mizuho then says, "Marie, once I enter Kei's mind, heal her wounds and seal her memories away. This is a Priority One." Lying down onto the bed next to Kei's, Mizuho gets ready when she sees Koishi frowning. "Miss Herikawa?"

"Why are you having her memories sealed away?"

Putting a black visor over her eyes, she replies, "They're memories of her finding Kei and their verbal barbs toward each other. With Kei's being the worst. I have to seal Kei's away as well. Just to be sure he doesn't have any painful memories. I could tell that he's hurting pretty badly from their encounter, along with his harsh and angry words."

"Okay, that kind of thing would be painful for anyone, but why'd she locate him?"

"A long time ago, she and her friends were friendly with Kei. Until after his three-year long 'standstill'. They made fun of him because while he was in that state, they became adults. Immature ones at that. So, he escaped their cruelty and started anew."

Putting it together, Koishi smiles, saying, "Here, with us. Were you observing him from wherever we are right now?"

"No. He told me the night he took up with you. He didn't want Miss Morino to go into a 'standstill' ever again. It was quite noble of him, wasn't it?"

Nodding, Koishi replies, "Very. I guess it's one thing we have in common. We both like the same guy. Only you got him first. Ichigo told me about her problem after..." Her voice trails off again as another memory comes to her. "We saw you crying. Ichigo, Kei and I. We all saw you crying."

"I see you've gone into recall. Right now, I'll have to trust you to keep this amongst yourself, Kei and myself. His Aunt and Uncle, I'll have to contend with. Along with Lt. and Mrs Sagara."

Blinking, Koishi asks, "What? Miss Kazami, what do the Sagaras have to do with it? Wait a minute. What do you mean by Lt?" But it's already too late. Mizuho's going deep into Kei's mind. Suddenly, her eyes go even wider than before.

"The Sagaras. They're within that fast armed car. I hope they're alright. And to think I thought it was another lunatic for me to chew out. Well, I'm still going to chew them out. All that tumbling really hurt." Next thing she knows, a tiny yellow figure with a pink inner tube appears on her shoulder and gently taps her cheek in a consoling manner.

"Thanks, whoever or whatever you are." Sighing, she returns her attention to Kei and nods. "Okay, let's talk to Kei."

Taking his hand into hers, Koishi smiles softly and says, "You're very lucky, Kei Kusanagi. You have a wife that'll break the rules, just to help you through your toughest times. If only I had known about that woman's past with you, I wouldn't have saved her. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not that cold-blooded or cold-hearted."

As Koishi goes on talking to Kei, Yuriko's eyes begin twitching as her wounds are healed and her memories sealed away. "Must find Kei. Must find Kei."

Outside, the war rages on. "Hang on, Kaname. It's time to turn and burn."

"You got it."

Laughing as he drives, he says, "That's it. Keep coming, keep coming. Remove the safeties on the turbos, Kaname. I want to see how much ass we can haul."

"Sousuke, if I do that, this car'll tear itself apart! Besides, we're hauling ass already!"

"If those pulse blasts manage to knock us over, we'll be torn apart anyway." An idea suddenly occurs to him. "I'm cutting the turbos and letting her get closer."

Her eyes going wide in shock, she asks, "You're going to do what? Sousuke!"

"I hit the brakes, she'll fly right by. Brace yourself, honey."

"I'm braced, sweetie. But I think you watched 'Top Gun' way too many times."

Chuckling, he says, "Okay, on my mark, we brake hard. Three, two, one. Mark." Slamming the car to a sliding stop, he adds, "Red-eye."

"Red-eye." Pressing the button, she gets his idea. "The Red-eye's a heat-seeker. You're using the engines on that ship as a weapon. The Red-eye is merely a trigger. When it detonates, it'll ignite the fuel not yet used in the ship."

"Exacto. At least that's the idea."

"At least that's the idea? Sousuke!"

"It's the first time I had a dogfight with an alien ship, Kaname!"

"Yeah, you got a point there, Sousuke."

Inside her cockpit, Togama grins as she thinks, 'I want to look him in the eyes as he dies. For an enemy, it's the least I can do. I'm pleased he realized that resistance is futile.' Once Gruberi-siel flies past Roadwolf, her alerts blare.

"Incoming weapon?"

Next thing she knows, she's on the ground and looking up at Gruberi-siel. Just as it attempts evasive maneuvers, it explodes, leaving no trace of ever having existed.

Back inside Roadwolf, Sousuke yells, "All right!"

"Yeah! Way to go, Sousuke!" The couple exchanges a high-five as they head for the pilot. Unaware of the multiple sets of eyes that had seen the action from a tall structure.

A stunned Togama snaps out of it and yells, "Gruberi! NO!" For the first time in her life and career, she feels true humiliation and slumps back down to the ground before standing up. Willing to face defeat and death. "Gruberi."

Hearing an approaching engine, she turns around and sees Roadwolf approaching. With it's weapons visible. Once the car stops, she sees a form exit the right side and draw a weapon-like shape.

"Put your hands on your head! Lie down on the ground!" Obeying the figure, she starts losing consciousness as the voice goes on. "You sure caused a lot of trouble today." Upon feeling restraints being put onto her wrists, she starts mumbling.

"Gruberi. Gruberi. Gruberi." She keeps saying the name, in stunned and shocked disbelief. She then blacks out, into the merciful darkness.

Deep inside Kei's mind, Mizuho walks along a corridor until she finds what she's looking for. "Here goes." Opening the door, she sees Kozue waiting patiently on the roof of the school.

"Hello, Kozue." Kozue turns around and blinks upon seeing the very attractive pink-haired woman wearing a black, sleeveless wetsuit-like garment that's very revealing.

"Who are you?"

"I would have been your sister-in-law and friend had you not killed yourself, Kozue. I'm Mizuho, Kei's future wife."

Kozue closes her eyes and begins to protest, shaking her head. "No! He doesn't deserve to live in an uncaring world! No one does!" Reopening her eyes, she lets Mizuho see her brown eyes filling with tears. "He's a good guy, my brother!"

"What about you? Don't you want to see him being happy?"

"Of course I do. That's why I'm doing this. I'm going to end it, while I still feel delight. I want him with me for all time."

"Did you ever think about how your parents would react? Or even Kei's reaction? Life is a gift, not to squandered meaninglessly. Because of your impending death, he's going to go into a 'standstill' for three years! When he comes out of it, his friends will laugh at him because by appearances, he wouldn't have aged one bit on the outside. Unable to take the scorn and ridicule, he'll flee, to start anew."

With tears strongly flowing, Mizuho asks, "Do you really want that for Kei? Your death is his greatest pain. I know I can't change the past. I'm hoping perhaps to ease his pain."

"You will ease his pain, Mizuho. I already know you'll take good care of my brother." Kozue steps toward Mizuho and her arms wrap securely around her torso. Gently.

"I love my little brother, very much. It's just that, people can often get greedy for happiness, which is why sadness balances it out. You'll have your hard times with Kei still, but you'll both pull through. Especially with what you must tell Mithril. They found part of it already. They only need confirmation."

"Mithril? How do you know about it?"

"Being a soul, I can still look in from time to time. Particularly on my brother. Listen to me. The 'standstill' condition is biological warfare of the most selfish kind. It was ordered to be created by a guy calling himself the 'Emperor' as an experiment in preservation of youth. He felt it would be his key to immortality."

"But he wanted it tested first, so he used Miss Morino and my husband as guinea pigs! That's barbaric! Who knows how many others he had that done to?"

"I wouldn't worry about them, I'm afraid."

"What, what do you mean?"

"There were five other children that had 'standstills'. The other children were on life support and their families couldn't afford to pay. Even more, the Doctors knew nothing about 'standstills'. So, they had to pull the plugs on them. Kei's the only lucky poor one."

Suddenly feeling very sick to her stomach, Mizuho collapses to her knees and starts sobbing as she covers her mouth. "I know. It's sickening. You best hurry and disappear. Kei's getting closer. Oh, give this to Lt Sagara. I'm afraid there's no known cure for Kei's condition, though. Just, please, don't let him be alone."

"I won't." Taking the paper from Kozue's hand, Mizuho gets up and embraces her soon-to-be-deceased sister-in-law. "Thank you."

"Please, tell Kei I'm sorry my death ruined his life in Shinjuku. I wouldn't want him to feel sad on my account or bad for me anymore. Just for him to know I'm going to a better place than this hellhole."

"I will, Kozue." Stepping back from her, Mizuho retreats into the shadows, just as Kei rushes up to the roof and screams Kozue's name as she plummets off the roof. "Good-bye, Kozue."

Gingerly opening the paper, she reads the location and memorizes it. Gently placing her hands to her abdomen, to ease the queasy feeling, Mizuho then exits Kei's mind, telling him to let the pain and anguish go on her way out.

Upon opening her eyes, she leans upward, wearing a soft smile. "Mrs Kusanagi?" Mizuho smiles at the use of her married name and looks over at Koishi. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Miss Herikawa. How about Kei?"

"I think he's starting to come around." Sure enough, Kei opens his eyes and blinks.

"How are you feeling, Kei?"

"Strange, Mizuho. Like something is soothing me, telling me to let it go." Looking over at Mizuho, he sees Koishi's with them. "Koishi, what are you doing here?"

"I saved her neck from that weird UFO." Koishi points toward the bed that Yuriko's lying on. "To get us out of the line of fire, your wife beamed us aboard."

"I wouldn't exactly put it like that, but it'll do." Kneeling beside Kei, Mizuho smiles.

"You mean?"

"Yes. I do. You can let go of the pain now." Suddenly remembering, Mizuho asks, "What about the Sagaras? Did they make it okay?"

Koishi shakes her head and replies, "No idea, Mrs Kusanagi. I heard a massive explosion in the distance and a scream right afterward."

"Marie, please show the location of Roadwolf. This is a Priority One." Once Marie shows the image, Mizuho, Kei and Koishi all smile. Roadwolf is right in front of them. Weapons already concealed. "Marie, transport the three of us outside. This is a Priority One."

Within seconds, they're all outside and Sousuke's bringing a woman very familiar to Mizuho out, with Kaname covering her with Sousuke's Glock.

"Ryoko? Ryoko Togama?" At the woman's nod, Mizuho loses it. "You mean you tried to harm me, my husband and Miss Herikawa? Along with his former 'friend'? Give me one good reason I shouldn't hurt you, Ryoko!"

"Mizuho, please! I'm upset enough as it is. Your friends here shot down Gruberi-siel with a common, earthling-made missile. Even more, there's no debris. I've never been more humiliated in my life. Not since you graduated top of the class. But now I get humiliated by primitives."

"Watch who you're calling primitives, lady. Or I'll plug you right in your shin."

"Kaname, no bloodshed. At least much, anyway." Grinning, Sousuke turns to a subdued Togama and asks, "Was that the name of your ship? Gruberi-siel?" At Togama's nod, he says, "It was tough, but ugly as hell."

"Why, you...!"

"Gruberi-siel? But, that's the pride of the Galaxy Federation fleet."

Turning her attention to Mizuho, she replies, "I know. It came as a shock to me as well, Mizuho." Looking back toward Sousuke, she adds, "I've never dealt with such a troublesome adversary before."

"Well, that's Sousuke for you. He is a handful. Even if trouble seems to find him wherever he goes." Kaname grins as she kisses him. "I wouldn't have my husband any other way."

Koishi waves her hands and says, "Wait. Hold on a moment. Let me get this straight. You mean to tell me that he doesn't go looking for trouble? It usually finds him?"

"Actually, it pretty much seems to know where I am most of the time. It's not a problem for me." Sousuke casually shrugs at the remark and leaves it at that, a wry grin on his face.

Kaname starts laughing, for she knows how true it is. Kei looks over at Mizuho and sees her struggling to keep her laughter in check. He then looks over at Koishi and sees the same thing. Suddenly, all five start laughing together. The only one not laughing is Ryoko. For she is not amused. At all.

An hour later, Yuriko opens her eyes and finds herself at the train station. 'Why am I back at the train station? No matter. I must find Kei.' Seeing the station attendant, she asks, "Do you know how I got back here?"

"Yeah. A guy in a black sports car brought you here and said he found you passed out on the side of the road. He said that you were heading this way based on the direction you were facing. He said it looked like you were disappointed about something."

"I see. In any case, I'd like a ticket, please."

"Where to, ma'am?"

"Back to Shinjuku. It seems the one I'm looking for is not here after all."

"All right. The next train should be here shortly, so you got very lucky, ma'am."

"Thank you." As the attendant prepares her ticket, Yuriko thinks, 'I will find you, Kei Kusanagi. When I do, I'll make things right between us.' Clenching her fists, with tears falling from her eyes, she verbally adds, "I swear it."

In the distance away from the station, Sousuke turns to Kei and says, "There's still time, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But, what they put me through is just too painful still. Perhaps Mizuho and I can go to Shinjuku, under the guise of her meeting my parents. If I come across them, or even her, maybe we can start anew. But not just yet. Still need to recover from the emotional wounds first."

"That's a good plan." Suddenly chuckling, Sousuke adds, "I'd love to be able to see your parents' faces when you introduce them to your wife."

"Yeah. I'm sure they'd be as shocked as Minoru and Konoha were when we told them the second time." Chuckling as well, he adds, "You'd never seen eyes go that wide before in your life. I thought they were going to pop right out of their sockets."

"Let's get you home. Besides, the Lt Commander should be there by now."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"So he could debrief you, ask you to keep Mithril out of everyday conversations. The whole nine yards."

"So we can't even talk about the car?"

Starting the car and grinning, Sousuke asks, "What car?"

Perplexed, Kei blinks his eyes before catching on. "Oh, I get it. The 'Plausible Deniability' route."

"Exacto." Turning Roadwolf toward the house and Clinic, Sousuke adds, "Besides, I still have yet to inform the Lt Commander that a name had been found for the car."

Smirking, Kei asks, "What car?"

"Now you're cooking with gas."

Back at the station, Yuriko looks back and sees a black sports car driving in the opposite direction and shrugs. 'Must've decided to be sure I'd be alright. If it's the same one, that is.' At that time, her train pulls in. Upon giving the conductor her ticket, she's then escorted to her seat.

As the train pulls out, she verbally asks, "Where are you, Kei?" Deep within herself, she feels a tugging, pulling her back toward the small village. But, she quickly quashes it, focusing on the trip back to Shinjuku.

'His Uncle and Aunt's village was a wash. But, I could have sworn Mrs Kusanagi said he was right here, living with her brother. I even saw the letter that said he was right there. Maybe he moved on without telling her.'

At the Edajima Clinic, Mizuho and the others look warily at the three other fatigue-clad people in the room with them. One gentleman with long silver hair in a ponytail, a buxom young woman with short-cut raven-black hair and another young man with long blond hair. Hatsuho, however, is as nonplussed as Kaname as they both sip on tea, with a fatigue-clad Kaname standing to the side as she sips.

"So, you're Lt Sagara's family with the mercenary unit."

"Of sorts, Ms Kazami. My two associates treat Lt Sagara very much like sibling. I tend to think of him like son. Destructive one, but son nonetheless."

"I see. I take it you know of my eldest daughter's situation, along with my son-in-law's condition."

"Yes. As such, Mithril has launched investigation into reasons why 'standstill' condition exists. Lt and Mrs Sagara briefed me on it last night. As they are their friends, Sgt Major Mao and Sgt Weber had accompanied me so they could brief you on what is required of you, given that you now know about Mithril."

Curious, Mizuho says, "I know Lt Sagara is able to destroy, given his reputation and what I'd seen today. But, did he ever save rather than destroy?"

Before Mao or Kalinin can reply, Weber grins and replies, "You bet, Mrs Kusanagi. You might even say he destroys and saves at the same time. Sometimes."

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow, Sgt Weber." Togama nods along with Mizuho, not quite following either. Hatsuho and Maho are of the same opinion. "That should be we don't quite follow."

"Well then, I'll simply have to tell you all about it. This is my fondest memory of Sousuke to date. That wild man used his M9 to wrestle an enemy Hind and took that bad boy out in the old Soviet suburb of Khabarovsk. At the same time, he rescued a damsel in distress. Just like a knight of old would. Of course, that was before his current AS."

"A Hind? You're kidding. A Soviet Hind is one of the most powerful helicopters in the world." Curious, Koishi asks, "What exactly is an M9, for that matter? I've never even heard of it. What is his current AS?" She suddenly blinks at the manic gleam in the blond Sgt's eyes and chuckles nervously as he stands up to go on. Yet, she can't help but lean forward, eagerly interested in hearing the story.

While the others, including Togama, lean forward and smile with eager interest as well. Kaname, however, is still standing to the side as she sips, having read the official report already and not caring much for Weber's viewpoint of how to do reports. Mao and Kalinin can only shake their heads in amused exasperation, knowing the best way to shut him up, short of hurting him, is to let him get it out of his system.

"The M9 Gernsback Arm Slave. Current issue for Mithril's AS troops. As for his current AS, I'll leave it up to Lt Cmdr Kalinin. Here it is. The Hind was closing in on this poor defenseless babe, firing it's guns all around her. BAM! Sousuke threw an Anti-Armor dagger from his ECS-cloaked Arm Slave right into the Hind's side, but it then dipped right toward her. Saving her cute ass, he deactivated the ECS, grabbed hold of the Hind, wrestled with it and threw it's big-ass body to the wild. BA-BOOM!"

Smiling still, Minoru asks, "Did the damsel kiss him or did he kiss her? He makes me so very jealous. Just like an action hero."

"Nah. He was too focused on getting her to safety. He knocked her out and she collapsed into his arms. He just held her until the extract helo picked her up. Although, it would have been nice if his softer side came out then. And he is a hero. Sometimes."

"That's enough, Weber." Mao kicks him in his ass and says, "Sit back down, idiot. Or I'll give you a lead enema." Once Weber's seated, Mao turns it back over to Kalinin.

"Thank you, Sgt Major. You've gotten somewhat less violent in last few months. Especially in regard to Sgt Weber."

"It's not easy, sir. Especially with what he was told yesterday at the graduation."

"I gathered as much. Now, on to next subject at hand. Galaxy Federation and it's pursuit of Mrs Kusanagi. Miss Togama?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm instructing you to deliver message to your superiors within Federation. In short, any further attempts to apprehend Mrs Kusanagi, when she has done nothing wrong, will be considered crime on their part. After all, she is half-Earthling. As such, she has dual citizenship. This is her home along with her heritage and she's happy here."

Meekly, Mizuho raises her hand, asking, "Lt Commander?"

"Yes, Mrs Kusanagi?"

"I may be with child as well, sir. It's too soon to tell, though."

"Understood, Mrs Kusanagi. You and your husband both have my potential congratulations."

"Thank you, sir." Maho squeals in delight as she softly wraps Mizuho in a hug. "There's another thing, sir."

"Oh?"

"Yes. While I was in Kei's mind, I found out from his sister about the 'standstills'. They are biological warfare, only of the more selfish nature."

"I see. More ruthless way for one to maintain status, I assume." Taking note of Kaname's face with Mizuho's nod, he can tell that she's still sickened from reading the transcript the previous night. "If it's any consolation, Mrs Sagara, Captain Testarossa has stopped swearing in order to sleep. Of course, she'll probably resume it upon awakening."

"It's not really a consolation, but it'll do until we stop that facility cold."

"Indeed. Do you have address, Mrs Kusanagi?"

"Yes, indeedy, Lt Cmdr. Here's the address." Writing it down, Mizuho looks over at Kaname and says, "I hope that car of yours can handle it."

Smirking, Kaname asks, "What car?" The question has Mizuho's eyes going wide.

"What do you mean by 'What car'? I'm talking about Roadwolf." Much to Mizuho's surprise, Kaname starts chuckling again.

"Oh yeah. You're definitely bound to be pregnant. You've got intense mood swings. It's one of the clearest indicators. I've been there too, so don't worry about it." As Kaname's chuckling tapers off, Kalinin grins as he turns Kaname's way.

"I see you and Lt Sagara settled on name for it, then."

"Yeah. Of course, Sousuke cooked it up yesterday when the whole mess started. But, in a way, it fits. 'Roadwolf: Wolf of the road'. It's a natural name."

"I agree." Kurz and Melissa both nod their agreement, for they like the name as well. Even Koishi nods in approval of the name. "I'll tell Captain about it upon our return to base. In meantime, Sgt Weber and Sgt Major Mao will be in your apartment, monitoring your son's status. Even though Miss Tokiwa is caring for him."

"That sounds good. Kyoko's not exactly well-equipped to handle hostile parties that may try to hurt our baby. But, there's enough Mithril artillery in the apartment to kill a small army. Ten times over. Sucks to be the ones that want to harm innocents."

"But, but, but... the car."

Returning her attention to Mizuho, Kaname says, "Mizuho, Sousuke and I worked it out last night. Not only to protect us, but you, Kei and everyone else innocent that comes into contact with Roadwolf."

"Thinking of which." Togama gets her fire back as she goes on. "There's still the destruction of my ship. I still don't see how you pulled it off."

"It's quite easy. With a Red-eye missile, type; heat-seeker. Sousuke figured he'd use the heat your ship's engines were cranking out against you. I'm even more surprised you're still alive. Then again, I guess your link didn't want you to die. So, it sent you out of the line of fire."

"That explains the sudden stop. Genius. Sheer genius."

"Nah. I'd say more like ballsy. Crazy, but ballsy. Sousuke's certainly got big enough balls for such stunts like that." Unable to resist, Weber jumps in.

"Yeah, Kaname should know the best, after all. She's seen them." Kaname's face goes beet red while Weber smiles pervertedly and laughs. "After all, if she hadn't, she wouldn't be a Mommy now!"

"Kurz!" Her face now suddenly going scarlet while he laughs, she pleads, "Melissa, could you shoot him? Please!"

Melissa yells, "Weber! Don't make me shoot you! This is no time for pissing me off!"

Even Kalinin bellows, "Sgt! That's enough!"

"I'm jealous. Oww." Minoru groans when Konoha slaps him on his head, frowning. Mizuho, Koishi and Ryoko all look at each other and laugh softly while Hatsuho and Maho can only shake their heads in subtle amusement.

"It seems the Lt's family is quite interesting, Mom."

"It does indeed, Maho. It does indeed." Turning her attention to Ryoko, she says, "Ryoko, we could give you a lift to GF Headquarters if you like."

"That'd be great. Thanks, Mrs Kazami." Turning her attention to Mizuho, she says, "I'm so sorry about the trouble, Mizuho. I never figured I'd be sent after you. When I found you, all I could think of was doing my job."

"Likewise when it came to my job. Then again, I never expected to meet the love of my life, either."

"Perhaps I can talk to them. They could reinstate you. After all, there were extenuating circumstances. Surely, they've heard of it." They all turn at Kei's voice as he goes on, with Sousuke behind him. "Those guys need to know that we won't accept their trying to ruin our happiness."

Maho turns to Kei, a proud smile on her face, and asks, "Kei, you're willing to go into space with us?"

"Yes. My wife and her happiness is my Priority One."

"Oh, Kei." Mizuho gets up from the seat and wraps him into her arms. "You're my Priority One." In the background, Ryoko smiles at the sight before blushing.

"It's too bad I missed your wedding, Mizuho. It must have been something to see. I still can't get over the fact that Kei's really twenty now. That's a little hard to accept. Especially given the 'standstills' he had suffered in the past."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Suddenly, a thought occurs to her. "In several months, if I am pregnant, the other students will notice it. They'll want to know how it happened." Next thing Mizuho knows, she feels Kei's lips against hers.

"When the time comes, we'll handle it together. That's what marriage is all about, Mizuho."

Nodding, Sousuke goes to Kaname's side and adds, "Trust me. It's hard work, but it's worth it. Be it as a mercenary for Justice or as a regular family man. Sometimes, both roles come into play." Kaname nods and lets out a giggle of agreement.

"Yeah, it is. And they sure do in your case." Turning her attention toward Sousuke and Kaname, Mizuho gets a suddenly wicked urge. "Lt Sagara?"

"Ma'am."

"I have a location for you. I gave it to your superior. When you're able to, take it down the best way you know how." As Kalinin hands him the paper, she adds, as if pleading, "Please, don't let them get away with what they've done. They need to pay for what they've done. To Kei and the others like him. To me, no, to us, this is a Priority One."

"Actually, we've been considering that already." Upon looking at the location, Sousuke's face takes a feral look. "It so happens to be on the way to our next destination." Kaname looks at the location as well and smiles insanely before laughing demoniacally. Her laughter dies down as Sousuke gives her a passionate lip-lock.

Shaking his head in amusement at the scene, Kalinin proceeds. "Now, final item. Miss Herikawa?"

"Yes, Lt Commander?"

"Given you had saved perfect stranger from dangerous situation, I must commend you. It's not often one saves another without having read dossier beforehand."

"Sir?"

"Basically, he's saying he wants you to join Mithril." Kurz grins, adding, "By the time we're done with you, you could be as good as Sousuke, Koishi."

"Why am I sensing a 'but' here?"

"Because there is. You can never tell your family where you're going. Unless, of course, they're connected to Mithril. According to what we learned, they're not. Just tell them you'll be going to acting camp if you decide to join up. Also, due to your lack of combat experience, we have to send you to a rookie camp." Melissa grins as she adds, "It's where I picked these two jokers up."

"What will I be learning, if I agree that is?"

Sousuke replies, "Arm Slave piloting, hand-to-hand combat, firearms usage, sabotage, communications, demolitions. This and that mostly."

Koishi feels overwhelmed and leans back into the seat, saying, "This and that. Wow, this is all so sudden. When do you require an answer?"

Kalinin softly smiles as he replies, "Not right away. Take time and weigh options." Bringing out a card and handing it to her, he adds, "Once you make decision, call number. Either way it goes, we hope only best for you. Once you make call, dial random number for security's sake. It wouldn't do for a redial to happen."

"Thank you, sir. I've still got some growing up to do."

"Indeed. It's unfortunate Mr Kusanagi's condition wouldn't allow him to join Mithril. If he was to have 'standstill' in combat situation, he wouldn't survive it. Those kinds of situations do provide stress."

"Yeah. High stress levels. Wait a minute. You mean if I didn't have 'standstills', I could have been considered?"

"Correct." Noticing Kei's slumping posture upon reclining, he adds, "For what it's worth, were it not for 'standstills', you'd have made good SRT or PRT warrior. You have heart of lion." At their quizzical looks, he goes on. "PRT is Primary. SRT is Specialty."

Remembering the conversation she intends to have, Mizuho asks, "Just how bad was Gauron, Lt Sagara?"

"He was so evil, I think even the GF would have wanted him dead."

"That's not our way. We only observe planets to ensure they're not on a destructive path." Togama nods in agreement with Mizuho, her resolve strengthened just from being near her old friend again.

Nodding, Sousuke replies, "Mithril's generally the same way. There are times we can resolve situations peacefully through diplomatic negotiations. But, there are some nations or people that doesn't like peace, let alone the idea of it. That's where lethal negotiations come in. Gauron was like that. Always wanting to start trouble, all for the sake of making money. Be it in Khanka, Afghanistan or right here in Japan."

Intrigued, Togama asks, "How'd you first come across him? Was it in this Khanka place?"

"Negative. Khanka was when Kaname first encountered Gauron when he took her off the plane. Lt Commander Kalinin and I first came across him in Afghanistan. Gauron was a mercenary working for the KGB. He had just killed an entire compound that the Afghani Resistance had been using with two RK-92 'Savages'. It was only by sheer luck and fortune I was out on reconnaissance at the time."

Clenching his fists, Sousuke then feels Kaname's hand on his back. "Thanks, Kaname."

"Not a problem, Sousuke."

"It was then that Lt Cmdr Kalinin came into my life. He came upon me while I was burying the bodies. Without saying anything, he helped me to bury them. When all was said and done, we vowed to bring Gauron down in revenge. Lt Cmdr Kalinin posed as a decoy, I was the sniper. Once I had Gauron in my sights, I shot him, right in the head. Little did I realize that we'd come across him again in Khanka."

Intrigued, Maho remembers what Sousuke had said. "He took Kaname off the plane? How'd you get her back?"

Kaname smiles and replies, "He came in when a crazy woman scientist was wanting to inject me with a chemical to make me more submissive. Two goons were holding me down. As the needle got closer, I felt I was done for. That was when my hero saved me. He got me away from them and to the hangar housing a group of RK-92 'Savages'. Next thing I knew, this wonderful nut was climbing up onto it and powering it up."

"That must have been a quite surprise, Mrs Sagara."

"It was, Koishi. It was. Once he had the 'Savage' operational, he fought the Arm Slaves that had reached the hangar. He knocked one down, took it's weapon and shot another as it was coming back out of the hangar. He then shot another one at point blank range, killing it's pilot. Right at that moment, as I stepped out to look at the AS he had piloted with incredible skill, I knew my life, as I knew it, would forever-more be different."

"What about Gauron?"

Kurz replies, "Gauron toasted my M9 when I shot his AS at point blank range with my Bofors. It wound up being slagged in Khanka to keep it from falling into enemy hands. Gauron had a piece of technology that repelled attacks that regular weapons would have no problem penetrating otherwise. I got banged up pretty badly. So did Sousuke."

Deeply concerned, Hatsuho asks, "How'd you get banged up, Lt?"

"Gauron used anti-AS grenades on the 'Savage', tearing it to pieces. I have a scar from a piece of shrapnel that wound up near my left kidney. Needless to say, it was a close call for me. Had it nicked either my kidney or an artery, I probably wouldn't even be alive right now." Kurz nods and takes it from there.

"So, upon making contact with each other, we started making our escape. Things looked so bleak, Sousuke was ready to throw our lives away. Just to get Kaname out. But she wouldn't have it. Sousuke pulled up his gun, aimed it at her and said for her to run."

"He was willing to shoot her? Why?"

"In his terms, it would have been better for her to die there than be caught by the enemy and turned into one of the living dead, Koishi. But, Kaname talked him out of shooting her. They then held each other so close, it looked like they would have kissed. Until I interrupted their moment. These two then tossed ideas and logistics back and forth until I remembered the pictures from our spy satellites. We had our way out. However, it was a long shot due to the cloud cover. But, they got the message, since Lt Cmdr Kalinin felt we needed an enforcer to ensure it and sent the enforcer."

Blinking, Maho asks, "Enforcer? What kind of enforcer, Lt Cmdr?"

"ARX-7. Arbalest, Miss Kazami. Due to assessment of Gauron's AS, we had to deploy it, just to keep pace with him. It's Arm Slave that Lt Sagara is currently assigned to pilot."

"Oh, so that's the one he didn't want to talk about." Looking at Sousuke, Maho grins and says, "I hope you kicked Gauron's butt good, Lt."

"In the end, yes. With Kaname's help." Giving his blushing wife a tender kiss, he adds, "If I didn't have her nearby, I'd be dead already."

Seeing another opening, Kurz takes it. "Once Gauron's AS was toasted, Sousuke starting the exfiltration, with us in Arbalest's hands. We were making good headway when a Hind started firing at us. Next thing Kaname knew, she was flying up into the air and the Hind was falling, an anti-armor dagger in it's side. When it crashed and burned, Sousuke deftly caught her in Arbalest's right hand. Thing was, she screamed herself silly. When she landed into his hand, she went unconscious." Maho clicks her tongue and snickers lightly.

"You're dangerous alright, Sousuke. You trying to get her killed?"

"Negative. I merely chose the most effective means of securing our escape. However, up ahead there was another obstacle. A group of Savages were waiting for us, wanting to 'see us off', as the case would be. Luckily, Sgt Major Mao was waiting as well. She laid down 'discouraging' fire, allowing us to jump off the cliff and land on the sub. Thus, ending our adventure in Khanka. It's nice enough to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Let alone die. Not now that I have a reason, anyway."

"Sousuke, you're making me blush." Kaname nods as she blushes and takes it from there. "We thought Gauron had bought the farm in Khanka. Then Sousuke had to go to Helmajistan to kill Gauron with a unit from the Indian Ocean Fleet. The unit Sousuke went with didn't survive the mission. Suffice it to say, that homicidal maniac was harder to kill than a ninja cockroach. It was proven to be true when he was caught in the Perio Islands. When he took over a sub, things got hairy."

Curious, Mizuho asks, "How'd it end?"

"Sousuke and I sent his crazy ass off the sub and his Arm Slave, 'Venom', detonated."

Koishi then asks, "Arm Slave? He had an Arm Slave, Mrs Sagara?"

"Oh yeah. In fact, you might even say he was as a good as Sousuke is. Put that man in an AS, all you can do is either put your head between your legs and kiss your ass good-bye or hope you survive him. Most of the time, it would be the former. Same thing with Sousuke here." Grinning, Kurz jumps in again.

"After Gauron was launched off the sub, Sousuke slammed Arbalest's right fist down on the sub's flight deck, yelling, 'Kashim? Kashim? We're not friends! You shithead!' I tell you, it was the first time Sousuke had ever swore in his life. That I know of anyway."

"What's with the 'Kashim' bit, Lt? I've been curious about that since you told us last night." Even Togama is intrigued by Mizuho's question, as she's nodding in agreement.

"It was the name I fought under when I was with the Afghani Resistance. Gauron liked the name, it seems. I wasn't exactly crazy about him using it so casually."

Togama smirks and says, "I guess he got under your skin for you to get to that point. But something tells me there's more to the story."

Nodding, Melissa replies, "I'll say. When Sousuke and Street Hawk shot him, he was in a wheelchair. It seems the detonation had destroyed his spine."

"So, therefore, no Arm Slave, no chance of victory for Gauron. That sounds like it belongs in the 'win' column."

"Indeed, Miss Togama. However, Gauron had a contingency plan. A voice-activated self-destruct within the compound. Had he activated it, myself and Street Hawk wouldn't even be alive now. And there was an AS being built within the compound. It's toast now."

"Jeez, that guy sounded more dangerous than Charles Manson. That and even crazier."

"He was, Miss Herikawa. He was." Koishi kinks her head to the side before settling on another question.

"Did you ever teach anyone how to pilot an AS, Lt Sagara?"

"Affirmative. Several months ago, Kurz, myself and Sgt Major Mao taught the members of Team Hawk to operate M9s. Except, of course, for Sand Hawk. Given that she was on Maternity Leave at the time. And long before then, Captain Testarossa."

"What? Your own Captain didn't know how to pilot an Arm Slave? Must've been a desk jockey."

Chuckling, Kalinin replies, "Not quite, Miss Togama. Truth of the matter is, Captain Testarossa is often uncoordinated when on dry land. When she's in command of the sub, whole different matter."

"Oh, your C.O. is a woman? I'm very jealous. You must be lucky to have a voluptuous woman in command."

"Tessa, voluptuous? Hah! If she ever hears that, she'll probably blush before having you walk the plank, Mr Edajima!" Melissa grins as she goes on.

"That little tart challenged me to an AS match because I like to light up and get lit. She even went so far as to call me lower level. Well, our tempers rose and then she challenged me. Right there, in her quarters."

Grinning, Togama says, "I hope you beat her good."

"Oh no. She beat me. With an old M6 Bushnell, no less. While I piloted the newer M9. She just got lucky and beat me because she had Sousuke on her side. By the time the match was over, my M9 was so heavily coated with blue paint, it started sticking. Here's an added bonus for you. She had such a massive crush on him. Just like Kaname did. Only Kaname got him first. Probably because of the difference in their ranks."

"You're very lucky, Lt, having two women fighting over you. You're so lucky, I'm so very jealous. Did anything happen between you two while you were training her?" Getting a glimpse at Konoha's scowl, Minoru moans, knowing what the scowl means. The forecast for the night will be intense pain for the good Doctor.

Smiling softly, Kaname replies, "Go ahead and answer, Sousuke. You told me, and I saw the picture."

"Roger. She fell on top of me after losing her grip on the ladder she was climbing to get into the Arm Slave. She didn't get up. Instead she started giggling. It was beyond me until I realized my feelings toward Kaname. I guess you could say I was pretty clueless."

Togama chuckles while Kaname ruffles Sousuke's hair and remembers something from earlier. "During our fight, you mentioned A-21. What happened with the terrorist you told that to?"

"He died."

"I see. What exactly made A-21 a terrorist group?"

Kalinin replies, "Initially, it was rehab program for juvenile delinquents. Former Japanese mercenary took said delinquents to island he had bought and taught them basic survival and combat skills. Their confidence grew, as did their joy and pride. One day, it went askew. Reporters had gotten wind of training and went to island. Same reporters caused explosion to go off."

"But the delinquents were blamed, thus having them labeled as terrorists due to their training. Am I right, sir?"

"You are, Miss Togama. One of terrorists, young boy named Takuma, was pilot of AS that Lt Sagara had destroyed using Arbalest. However, size of AS made things difficult."

"How difficult, sir? All Arm Slaves are the same size. Right?"

"Hah! You wish, Koishi! Hell, I wish! Take the size of an M9, which is 8 meters tall, and multiply by a hundred." Koishi's eyes go wide at the thought of such a massive AS. "That's right. It's name was 'Behemoth', and it was one gigantic motherfucker. It grabbed my M9 and squeezed it apart. Literally."

"How did Lt Sagara defeat such a huge monstrosity? Is Arbalest the same size as an M9? If it is, I don't see how he could have defeated it when it can squeeze an M9 apart."

"To the second, yes, Maho. As to the first, remember that piece of equipment that Kurz was talking about?" At Maho's nod, Kaname goes on. "Arbalest is equipped with the same thing. As was 'Behemoth'. I had Sousuke shoot that mechanized monster right in it's crotch area. When all was said and done, 'Behemoth' was destroyed and Takuma was on the edge of death. He died after thinking he was talking to his sister."

"Wow. You lead an exciting life, Lt. And you've been at it since you were only a little boy. I have no doubt your parents would be proud of you. It takes a strong man to do the right thing."

"Mother's got a good point, Lt. Kei is strong, in heart and spirit. He just has self-confidence issues. He should be more confident in himself." Twining her fingers with his, Mizuho adds, "But, for right now, he's all I'll ever need."

"Oh, that's so romantic. Doctor?"

"Yes, Mrs Sagara?"

"I'd like to discuss meds with you."

"Sure. What kind?"

"Birth Control. I had given birth to a little 'soldier' already and want to wait a while before adding on."

"I see. Any pictures?" At Kaname's nod, Minoru smiles as she brings out the envelope and hands it to him. Leafing through the pictures, he grins as he hands each of them to the others. "He sure looks like his old man."

"Indeed. My 'grandson' will certainly be formidable."

"How can he be your grandson if you guys aren't even related? It doesn't make any sense, Lt Sagara."

"It's because the Lt Commander's like a Father to me, Miss Kazami. When my parents died, I was taken in by the Afghani rebels and taught to fight against the Russians."

"But, Lt Cmdr Kalinin's from Russia. Right?" At the Mithril members' nods, Minoru asks, "Wouldn't that have made family relations difficult at least?"

"It would have, to be certain. You see, when Lt Sagara and I first met, we were enemies. Any time we'd fight, we'd do our best to kill each other. We had also developed so deep respect for each other, every time I'd turn in, I'd pray for him to 'die hard'. Or rather, stay hard to kill. When Gauron killed compound, I had been deserted by my comrades. I wandered in desert until I found Lt Sagara burying his surrogate family."

Shrugging, Kalinin adds, "Rest, as they say, is history."

Hatsuho nods as she looks over at the buxom Melissa and finds herself curious. "How did an attractive young lady like yourself come to join a mercenary force, Sgt Major Mao?"

"Well, first off, I was in the Marines. Did it to piss off my old man. Damn cocky Air Force bastard. He's always got something up his sleeve. He tried getting me married to some snot nosed rich kid that had just graduated from Harvard. It really pissed me off. So, on my wedding day, I left the church, in my wedding dress, and joined the Marines."

"But, wouldn't you have been happier as a wife and maybe Mother later in life?"

"That's what they asked me when I went there, Mizuho. I then told them my old man was in the Air Force. That quickly changed their minds. It seems the Devil Dogs and Fly Boys don't get along well for some reason."

"How'd you wind up in Mithril? You seem to be an excellent warrior."

"Thanks, Koishi. Well, I'll put it to you like this. No Commanding Officer likes having his field command vehicle kicked over by a woman suffering from PMS." At their dropped jaws, she nods and goes on. "That's right. The prick had the gall to hit on me, in front of my men. When I refused, he said my days in the Corps were numbered. That made me so mad, when he got into his FCV, I kicked the fuckin' thing over."

She then shrugs and says, "I blamed it on mood swings from having PMS. But, the CO was such a prick, he alleged I tried killing him. Of course, what I said to him gave me some leeway, but the damage had been done. I got kicked out of the Marines. Next thing I knew, I was on my way to Mithril's main base of ops."

"And the CO?"

"He retired a full bird Colonel six months afterward."

"Shall I send Miruru after him? Or, can I send her after him, please?" At Maho's question, Melissa laughs as she pops a tab off of a can of beer and chugs it on down.

"You got a lot of fire, Maho. You just need to focus it on something." Finishing off the beer, she adds, "Thanks for the booze, Mr Edajima. It's one of my favorites."

"Sure. No problem. As long as you're not the designated pilot for that helicopter outside in the backyard."

"Nah, I'm good. Besides, a Warrant Officer's flying the MH-67 Pave Mare outside. Thinking of, Sousuke, Kaname, if you like, we can arrange an MH-67 Pave Mare to meet you. If only to fly you guys and Roadwolf to Okinawa and back to the mainland after the second part of your honeymoon."

"Melissa..."

"Don't say it, Sousuke. Of all the people that deserves to be happy on their honeymoon, it's you and Kaname. Now, if I'd gotten hitched like my old man wanted, I'd have been bored and miserable eventually. If not have cut that fucker's balls off if he looked at me funny." All of a sudden, Kaname smirks.

"Like Kurz is doing right now?" Melissa turns around and sees Kurz smiling sheepishly. She then closes her eyes and breathes deeply, willing herself to calm down. When she opens her eyes again, she gives Kurz a crookedly sinister smile.

"Kurz, I've just flashed upon happier times with you guys." The smile quickly turns to a frown as she adds, "I'd run if I were you."

"I'm gone." Kurz runs out the door, currently being held open by Konoha. Everyone else turns to Melissa as she pops open another beer and quickly chugs it down. After swallowing the beverage, Melissa stands up and crushes the empty can of booze.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go rip someone's nuts off." Walking out the door, at a sedate pace, she gives Konoha a polite bow before she bolts out, yelling, "WEBER!"

As the group in the house can only listen, they can barely hear Kurz's screams and Melissa's angry yells from outside. Mizuho turns her head to face Kalinin and finds herself confused.

"I thought you said she was less violent before, sir."

"It takes quite a bit to anger the Sgt Major, Mrs Kusanagi."

"No, no, no! Melissa!"

"Shut up, pain boy!" With that, they can hear Kurz screaming in pain.

Hatsuho and Maho look at each other and wince in sympathy. "I feel kinda bad for Kurz, Mother. He was just looking at her in admiration of her sentimentality. Plus, she is pretty."

"When you get to that point in your life, Maho, you'll find that not all looks mean the same thing. That aggression is Sgt Major Mao's way of keeping people from getting too close to her."

Four days later, Sousuke and Kaname prepare for departure and their next leg of the trip. "That was a very interesting stay, Sousuke." Walking down toward Roadwolf, Sousuke turns Kaname's way.

"It was indeed, Kaname. I enjoyed making love to you these past few nights." Concerned, he then asks, "You sure you're up for this? It could get bloody."

"I enjoyed it too, Sousuke. As for the other thing, affirmative. It's not a problem for me now. Thanks to you, I'm used to it now."

"Glad to hear it. Let's go." When they get to Roadwolf, they load their luggage, get in and drive out of the village at a sedate pace. As he drives, Sousuke looks over at Kaname and remarks, "It'd be a nice place to retire to when our children go to college and strike out on their own with their families."

"Retire? Children? College? Sousuke, I never thought I'd hear those words come from your lips. Over confident or are you sure about that?" Her question prompts a shrug.

"Just thought I'd say it in passing. Just in case I happen to make it to old age."

"Hmm, I hope you do, Sousuke."

"So do I, Kaname. So do I." Sighing, he adds, "I just hope Mr and Mrs Kusanagi are going to be able to make their point to the Galaxy Federation's High Command."

"I hope so too, Sousuke. Even more, I hope Mizuho doesn't get morning sickness like normal humans do. If she is expecting, that is."

"Given I'm not familiar with aliens' physiology, but quite familiar with humans', I'd say there's a 50-50 chance of her either getting morning sickness or not. After all, she is part human."

"Yeah, those odds sound just about right." Next thing they know, the communication console tones. "Kaname here." Smiling when she sees who it is, she says, "Hi, Tessa. You finally stop swearing yet?"

"_Hello, Kaname. Yes, I finally stopped swearing. Earlier this morning, anyway. Team Hawk and friends are here for their AS training. They arrived about two days ago. I have Kyoko on the line for you. She just wants to let you know how Sousuke Jr's doing. She also seems to be quite worried about something."_

"Okay. Thanks, Tessa." Once Tessa's visage winks off, it's replaced by Kyoko's. "Hey, Kyoko. How's baby-sitting going for you?"

"_So far, so good, Kaname. Sousuke Jr's taking a nap after I fed him. Um, any chance I can talk to Sousuke?"_

"I'm right here, Kyoko. What's going on?"

"_Sousuke, a man came by my apartment. He was wanting to give Sousuke Jr an injection of vitamins. He said that he had tried in the Hospital's Nursery, but the Nurses wouldn't let him."_

"When was that, Kyoko? And when did he go by your apartment?"

"_The day of your wedding to Kaname. He came by today. I'm not sure, but I felt it'd be safer for me to consult with you first before agreeing."_

"Kyoko, you did the right thing. Listen to me, carefully. I want you to evac your apartment, head to ours and contact the Captain. Request an airlift out of there to Mithril's Pacific Ocean Fleet Base."

"_I'm already in your apartment, Sousuke. Kurz let us in and Melissa patched me into Tessa. It's how I was able to contact you."_ Kyoko turns away from the camera and coos toward the floor before looking back up at Sousuke. _"Sousuke, what's going on? I sensed something was very wrong when that man came. I don't think he followed me. Should we evac, just to be on the safe side?"_

"Affirmative."

"_Okay, Sousuke. Who do I talk to about the guy?"_

"Lt Cmdr Kalinin or Captain Testarossa. I already briefed them about a potential criminal act." Blinking, he asks, "Just how did you know to contact the Captain to begin with anyway?"

"_One of your Commanding Officers. He gave Shinji a card. Shinji's seriously thinking of joining Mithril."_

"I see. Was Shinji present when the man was there?"

"_Yes, he was. He had a weird feeling about that guy as well. Transport's on the way already."_

"Okay. Upon arrival, Captain Testarossa will brief you on the facts we have gathered so far."

"_Thanks, Sousuke. I'm sorry if I soured your honeymoon with my call, Kaname."_

Giving her friend a warm, yet sad smile, Kaname replies, "Don't worry about it, Kyoko. Because it just turned our honeymoon into a working one. With a personal score to settle, no less."

"_Kaname, what do you mean? What personal score?"_

"If we're right, Kyoko, then some no-good loser wanted to use our baby as a human lab rat for some evil weird science."

"_Human lab rat? Evil weird science? Kaname, you're not making any sense."_

"Tessa will tell you all about it, Kyoko. See you later."

"_Bye, Kaname. Bye, Sousuke. Good luck for what you've got in mind."_

"Thanks, Kyoko. Bye." Once Kyoko's visage winks off the screen, Kaname growls. "Ron sure had a good point on graduation day. God's going to sit this one out all right. He'll just kick back and watch the show. Those bakas have gone way too far, Sousuke."

"Hmm, affirmative. Some things are better done on a personal level."

"Oh yeah. Much better that way. Just like Mr Tuttle said. 'The best Justice is Justice you do yourself'. I agree with that. How about you?"

"Affirmative."

For a slight instant, the two honeymooning teens could swear they had just heard a massive growl of agreement rise from Roadwolf. Looking at each other, they merely shrug it off as they note it, thinking it's a misfire in one of the engine cylinders.

Author's Notes: Hoo boy, can anyone say 'Punisher Time'? Sousuke, Kaname and Roadwolf are going to war. All for their son's life and sake. Big question is, why did Roadwolf growl? Any guessers? I hope you enjoyed this spicy and romantic chapter. For the heavy action is about to happen in the next chapter. With an appearance by some very familiar people from my usual and previous storyline. Later.


	2. Take Two: Instruments of Research Destru

Honeymoon p 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Street Hawk, Kim Possible, Please Teacher! or Full Metal Panic! Wish I did though.

Author's Notes: In this chapter, Sousuke and Kaname start their campaign against the 'standstill' condition. If you noticed a certain person's name in the first chapter, then you now know that means the storyline is now timed for after 'TSR'.

In short, Sousuke and Kaname are trying hard to forget about what that person did. And had been trying to do so for a good while. But, a shocking revelation will be made regarding Sousuke's family and what really happened to them. You better get ready!

Take Two: Instruments of Research Destruction

On the verge of sundown, on the mainland portion facing Okinawa Island, a Security Guard comes around for his rounds. As he probes the barely-lit shadows with his flashlight, he can't help the feeling he or the building's under observation. Shrugging, he turns his attention to the building he had just reported in to guard.

It's one that's certainly seen it's better days. Intact, yet spray-painted brick with broken windows. It had been three years since he was assigned to guard the building for the night shift. Even more, for the life of him, he can't figure out why he's guarding such a dilapidated building. As he turns the corner, he hears a massive explosion and feels a tremor in the ground.

Returning his attention to where he had just been, he notices the building he had been guarding is now a pile of rubble. Scared for his life, he starts running away, just as a black car fades into sight and drives away from the scene. As it drives, it emits a low growl, catching the attention of it's occupants.

An hour later, a grey MH-67 Pave Mare helicopter lifts off and flies toward Okinawa, with Roadwolf inside the belly of the helo. And Sousuke's under the hood, trying to find the source of the growl.

Lounging against the side of the car, Kaname smirks as she says, "It's a good thing you waited for him to clear the blast zone, Sousuke." Looking down at her husband as he pokes around inside the car's engine bay, she asks, "Anything strange in there, honey?"

"Affirmative. He just didn't seem to be malicious at all. In fact, I wouldn't even doubt he was wondering why he was guarding that dump. As for the strange portion, negative. Turbines are intact, as is the engine itself. No sign of the object that's causing the car to growl." Turning his attention to his beloved, he asks, "Anything in your search, Kaname?"

"Yeah. Quite a bit, Sousuke." Bringing out a printout, she goes on. "Chem scan shows residue of chemical compounds. Maybe related to 'standstills', but we need more to go on. It's the right address, but it looked like it hasn't been used in years though. Looks like we're back to square one."

Closing the hood, he asks, "Any chance you can find out who the owners were, honey?"

There's a slight grin in his voice as they get back into the car, just as the MH-67 arrives onto Okinawa Island. Upon landing, the Pave Mare's door opens and Sousuke drives the car out of the helo and waves as it shuts down it's rotors.

As she's sitting behind him, she replies, "Yeah. I already checked the property logs. It belongs to a company called, 'Royalty Holdings'." She can't help but smirk as he snorts incredulously.

"Sounds like someone likes themselves a little too much. Either that, or they're compensating for something very small with a big as hell ego." That gets him a chuckle from his wife, prompting him to chuckle as well.

"No argument there, Sousuke." Desiring to change the subject, she does so. "So, you think Kei and Mizuho will be alright?"

"Yeah. I do." Mentally, he adds, 'I hope they will, at least.' With that, the car starts heading toward Okinawa. Returning to the earlier matter, he then asks, "Anything else about the facility?"

"Not really. How about that growl we heard? Is that strange or what?"

"This is definitely getting stranger by the minute. As Mr Tuttle would be apt to say, 'This is a borderline eleven on the weird-shit-o-meter', Kaname."

"No argument there, Sousuke. Let's keep heading for Okinawa."

"Anything else?"

"Negative."

Shrugging, he says, "We might as well continue into Okinawa then, Kaname. Not much else we can do otherwise for now."

"Copy that. Doing a sweep. Radar detection, clear. Circle detection, clear. We're all clear, Sousuke." With that, she deactivates the computerized detection systems and stretches. 'Time to make time for my favorite pillow.' Moving her seat back to beside him, she puts her head onto his shoulder.

When her head gets onto his shoulder, they get a glimpse of the sunset. Orange, with splashes of yellow and red.

"Get a picture of this, Kaname. Otherwise, the kids will never believe this when we tell them about our honeymoon." Kaname grins as she lifts up her head and points a camera.

"On it." As she takes the picture, Kaname smirks as she asks, "Kids, huh? I thought we were going to wait a while so we can get used to the one we have already before we thought about adding on." Placing her head back onto his shoulder, she smiles softly as she strokes his arm.

"Just thought I'd mention it in passing. See how it sounded."

"Well, how does it sound to you?"

"Exciting and yet strange. For me, anyway."

Smiling softly, Kaname replies, "I understand, Sousuke. You just became a Father and husband, for crying out loud. I should have realized it'd be exciting yet strange for you. Especially with what you've seen in your life." Leaning over to peck his scarred cheek, she does so, asking, "Do you regret it, Sousuke?"

"Negative. Do you?"

"Nope. No regrets, Sousuke. After all. I have a loving, devoted husband, a beautiful baby boy and we're alone, together, on our honeymoon. Yeah, sure it's gotten off to a strange start. But, I'm sure it'll even out before we head home."

"Yeah. You're right. What say we get to the Queen Hotel Okinawa?" With that, Kaname giggles as he triggers Roadwolf's turbos, causing a massive dust cloud to rise behind Roadwolf. Within seconds, it fades away, with no trace of ever having existed.

Fifteen minutes later, upon arrival at the Queen Hotel Okinawa, Roadwolf pulls to a stop and it's two occupants gets a glimpse of people scurrying about. Looking at each other briefly, they shrug and exit the car to go inside, allowing the valet to attempt parking their car.

"Wicked dash, bitchin' steering wheel." As he tries to drive it to a parking space, he finds it's not moving. Frustrated, he steps on the gas, grumbling, "Come on, why won't you move?" Changing the gear to 'reverse', he tries again. Still nothing in the terms of movement. "Oh, very funny."

As they go deeper into the hotel, Kaname softly nudges Sousuke and, in an amused whisper, asks, "Don't you think it was rather mean not to tell him it'll only respond to either one of us? That it's the parking brake/biometric-based security system holding the car in place no matter how much he tries?" Unable to keep it stifled much longer, she lets out a giggle.

Whispering back, with equal amusement, he replies, "Yeah, I guess it was a little mean. But, it was also kinda fun. Tell you what, though. You secure our lodgings and I'll park Roadwolf."

"Sounds like a plan, Sousuke."

"Besides, I need to inform the Lieutenant Commander of the events tonight."

"Have fun, Sousuke." In turn, Sousuke snorts incredulously.

"Somehow, I get the feeling you're getting the better end of the deal, Kaname." Smiling softly, he gives her a quick peck and squeezes her hand, saying, "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Kaname can't help but smile as she watches Sousuke walk back out the door to the perplexed valet.

He had resorted to getting onto his hands and knees in front of Roadwolf, bowing and pleading with the car to move. He even goes as far as to come up, on his knees still, and bring his hands in a pleading manner. Sousuke had never seen such a sadder sight. In turn, he takes pity on the poor man, takes over and gets into Roadwolf. The valet is even more perplexed when Sousuke drives the car to an empty slot.

'WTF? How come it moved for him and not me?'

Inside Roadwolf, Sousuke makes a burst transmission to Merida Island, filling in Lieutenant Commander Kalinin of the events of the night. Once the transmission's done, he exits Roadwolf, only to find the valet in front of him.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes, sir. How come it won't move for me, but it will for you?"

"It's the on-board security system. If you're not authorized to drive it, it won't respond to you. I haven't figured out how to override it yet." Shrugging, he adds, "I doubt I ever will."

"That can't be right. All security systems have an override that allows valets to park the cars they're built into."

"I never said it didn't have an override. I just haven't found it yet and I don't think I ever will." As he walks away from the sputtering valet, Sousuke snickers, thinking, 'Besides, the biometric security system has no overrides. For people outside of Mithril, anyway.'

As he watches Sousuke walk away, the valet turns to Roadwolf and makes a solemn vow. "One day, I will drive you into a slot. Override or without it."

While the comedy show is happening, Kaname goes to the main desk and flashes her most winning smile at the front clerk. Smiling in reply, the clerk bows while Kaname bows.

"Welcome to the Queen Hotel Okinawa. How can I be of service to you, ma'am?"

"I believe there's a reservation for Mr and Mrs Sousuke Sagara."

"Yes, there is one in that name. Are you Mrs Sagara?" At Kaname's nod and production of Identification, the clerk nods back and says, "Your suite is Room 415. The Honeymoon Suite, as per your request. Duration of stay?"

"Just about a week before we go on our next leg."

"Ah. Very good, Mrs Sagara." As the clerk types in the information, Kaname looks around and sees the scurrying going on still.

"Just out of curiosity, what happened?"

"Just an unexplained explosion of an old building back on the mainland."

"Oh really? You don't say." As the clerk nods, Kaname thinks, 'At least the ECS works.' Upon feeling Sousuke's hand on her shoulder, she turns and sees his face.

"I heard it on the radio while I was parking Roadwolf. I take it you heard as well."

"Yeah. The clerk was just telling me."

"Mr and Mrs Sagara, the bellhop will take your bags to your suite. Just follow him, if you please."

Sousuke nods and replies, "Thank you kindly, sir."

As the couple follows the bellhop, they hold hands and intertwine their fingers into each other's. Luckily, the bellhop leaves them be when they get into the room. After sitting quietly for two minutes, Kaname looks up at her husband.

"All right. So, what do you want to blow up next?"

"What other properties does 'Royalty Holdings' own?"

"I've got a printout here in my blouse. But, you'll have to dig for it if you want to find out." Kaname smirks seductively at him as he walks toward her and reaches for her blouse. Much to his surprise and delight, she moves away from him. "I'm not going to make it that easy, Sousuke. But, just the same, you better hurry."

"Oh, why's that?"

With a sultry pout, she saucily replies, "It's making my breasts itch."

"Mmm, if you'd stop moving, I'd be able to. I'd love to scratch your breasts. Make the itching go away."

"Then come and get me. Honeymoon, take two. Action."

Kaname giggles as she eludes another grab from Sousuke, pleased that they're able to find time for romantic games. Next thing she knows, Sousuke gets to right behind her and reaches his hands into the bottom of her blouse, worming them up to cup her breasts.

Panting lightly, she says, "You're going to be pleasantly surprised, Sousuke." Looking into the mirror, she grins when she sees his eyes go wide. "That's right, Sousuke. I'm not even wearing a bra. That's why my breasts are so itchy right now. The paper rubbing against them is really annoying."

Moaning sensually as he kneads her breasts, she undoes the buttons of her blouse, allowing his hands greater freedom of motion. Feeling his erection against her backside, she grins, glad she had gotten hold of some birth control pills before leaving the village.

"I feel someone's excited right now." Next thing she knows, she feels the paper being withdrawn from her blouse and the groping continue. "Sousuke?"

"Work later. Play now." Starting to kiss her neck, he gently massages her breasts and grinds his crotch into her rear.

"Hmm, sounds good to me, Sousuke." Stripping off her blouse the rest of the way, she begins taking her skirt down, saying, "I think you're going to like this next part of it." Suddenly, she's turned around and she's treated to a soft smile from her husband.

"I'll handle this, Kaname." As he gets onto his knees, he places his face into under her skirt and moves upward. When she feels his lips against her lower lips, she begins moaning and giggling. Enjoying the oral play she's getting from her beloved.

Meanwhile, at a Palace-style Estate in a rural part of Japan, just outside of Okinawa, a man's having a meeting after having been advised about the blast at an old site for his 'pet' project.

"Are you absolutely certain the guard there didn't see the source of the explosion?"

"Yes, my Emperor. The guard himself told me that one minute, the building was intact. The next, mere rubble. With no sign of the source nearby whatsoever."

"Very well. Have the guard transported to the Mt Fuji site within twenty-four hours. Send him his clothes in the mail. It'll make him think twice about not expecting attacks at one of our sites."

"Yes, my Emperor." As the flunky bows and rises, the 'Emperor' bows and dismisses him at the same time.

Once the flunky is gone, the 'Emperor' looks to his side and asks, "Have you found the lead scientist yet? It's really quite crucial he be found. It's come to my understanding that he's been working on a counter-serum for the serum he had originally developed. That cannot be allowed under any circumstances."

"You think he may try using it on you, my Emperor?"

"Possibly. Another possibility is that he's wanting to undo the work the serum had done to the children we used for the experiment so far. It also cannot be allowed to happen. It'd be a waste of valuable research."

"How do you feel about that, my Emperor?"

"I'm kinda disappointed, actually. I want the project to come to full fruition. If the good Dr Fujimo can't see that sacrifices are necessary in the interest in science, then there is no use for him otherwise."

"Well, until he's found, there's not going to be much that can be done about it, my Emperor."

"I see. And what of the Sagara infant? Has he received his inoculation yet?"

"No, my Emperor. Matter of fact, the infant, along with his caretaker, have vanished from Tokyo. It seems she was able to get word to the infant's parents and was instructed to evacuate from the city. Even more, our man and our enforcer with him were shot with rounds of some kind. They're alive, my Emperor."

"I see. Did he say what had happened?"

"Yes, my Emperor. He said that she wouldn't capitulate until she'd spoken with the infant's parents. In turn, to avoid suspicion, he agreed. Only in order to do a sneak job of sorts."

"Bah! That incompetent should never have played it her way! He should have forced his way in, subdued her and injected the infant. As it wails and through her screams. Now we'll never know if the latest serum will work."

Sighing in frustration, the 'Emperor' adds, "Have production of the serum doubled, immediately. I want the serum flowing through the veins of every newborn in Okinawa. If the Sagara infant won't cooperate, I'm sure other infants will be eager to take his place."

"Yes, my Emperor."

The next morning, Sousuke and Kaname wake up at the same time on their bed and look at the floor underneath. Paperwork strewn all over the place, they grin at what had happened.

_(Last Night)_

_After making out and groping each other senseless, Sousuke and Kaname got to work on selecting their next target. Kaname took half of the pile while Sousuke got the other half. Simultaneously, they came across their next target. _

"_It's perfect, Sousuke. It'd just been finished being built three years ago. The building we destroyed was one of it's predecessor's."_

"_Agreed. Although, it's a Medical Lab. So, a night operation is best. To avoid collateral damage as much as possible. Of course, a daylight operation could work just as well. Send a wake-up call. Let's get some rest for the night and get a fresh look then."_

"_That sounds good." Kaname then yawned, adding, "Besides, all that heavy petting did run us down quite a bit." Without any further words, the couple turned in, giving a kiss to their mate. "Good night, Sousuke."_

"_Good night, Kaname."_

Sousuke grins as he looks over at Kaname and says, "There's a way we could do this during the daytime. However, it's going to have to be a soft probe at first before totally destructive annihilation."

"And a soft probe's something you've never done before. Even more, you'd stick out like a sore thumb. You practically scream 'Military'. Especially with the way you carry yourself."

"While you'd look like a researcher or an auditor. You certainly have the brains for it." Giving her nude form an up and down look, he waggles his eyebrows and adds, "Along with the body." Kaname can't help but grin and blush at the same time.

"Sousuke." Sousuke can only smile softly at his wife as she walks into the bathroom to take her shower. As the water runs, he can hear her voice. "Oh Sousuke, sweetie!"

"Yes Kaname, my love?"

"There's enough room for two in here! And I do need help in cleaning my back!"

Kaname's voice is so sultry, Sousuke can't help but give in to his wife's desire. Going into the bathroom as well, he sees Kaname's nude silhouette through the frosted door. Quickly opening the door, he steps in and closes the door. Softly kissing his wife's shoulder blades, he accepts the sponge from her hand and scrubs her back for her.

"Hmm, that feels wonderful, Sousuke. You've certainly had lots of practice with me."

Getting a devious smirk, he reaches around to her chest and softly squeezes her breasts with both hands, sponging forgotten. "How about this, Kaname?"

Feeling his erection against her rear, she moans contentedly as he massages her breasts. "Hmm, that feels heavenly. Remember the last time we were in the shower together?"

"Affirmative. You were five months pregnant and you sucked on me." 

"Uh-huh. Well, I was thinking..." Her voice trails off as she turns around and lays a massive kiss onto Sousuke's lips. While they kiss, she reaches down and grins upon finding her favorite thing to play with. Breaking away from the kiss as she strokes his hardening member, Kaname smirks and says, "Of having you fuck me in the shower."

"What my lady wants, my lady gets." Kaname giggles as she gives him another kiss, backing up to right against the shower stall's wall.

With his lips against hers again, Sousuke gives her exactly what she wants. Lifting her legs up, Sousuke enters her and begins pumping. As he pumps her in the shower, she starts kissing him passionately, with him returning the kiss with gusto.

As the two of them copulate, the shower head rains water down unto them, with the couple being oblivious to it all. When Kaname feels his essence rushing into her, she grins, glad that she had remembered to take her meds that morning upon entering the bathroom.

"Mmm, nothing like hot, naked shower sex in the morning, Sousuke." Biting her lip softly upon feeling her orgasm, she gives Sousuke a warm smile.

"I could get to like mornings like this. You're certainly more lively ever since we met."

"What can I say? I had very low blood pressure in the mornings. But, when you came along, you drove it right through the roof, Sousuke. I see, go through and do things other people can only dream of. Whether it be action-packed adventures or crazy situations. Sometimes, a combination of the two."

Feeling him spurt inside her womb again, she snickers, adding, "That's right. Pump me full, you stud. Pump me as much as you like. I won't get knocked up again. Not for a good while, at least. Not until we're ready for another baby."

"Roger." Looking over his wife's wet form, he gives her a slight grin as he kisses her. "Sooner or later, we'll have to get out and dry off, Kaname. That means ending the love-making. For a while, at least." Much to his relief, Kaname giggles in agreement instead of scowling.

"Yeah. But, for now, just make sweet, sweet love to me, Sousuke." His only reply is more pumping into her, as he lays kisses onto her breasts and lips. "Oh, that's it Sousuke. Mmm, oh you feel so good in me."

"You feel like velvet around me."

"Oh, Sousuke." With the water cascading off of her long blue hair, she kisses Sousuke passionately as she feels his essence rush into her again. "Mmm, oh that feels so good."

"Affirmative."

Thirty minutes later, Kaname is drying her hair, with Sousuke drying her body off. While sneaking in some light gropes as he does so. The two had finally shut off the shower after cleaning themselves from their post 'wake-up' activity and exited the shower, hand in hand.

Smiling contentedly, Kaname says, "When we get back home from honeymooning, we should have morning sex in the shower every morning, Sousuke. It should be big enough for the two of us. It'll be like a sacrament for us."

"Roger." Toweling off her body, he meticulously runs the towel down along her long legs and back up to wrap it around her torso, covering her assets. "Okay. You're done."

"Thank you. Your turn." Nodding, Sousuke hands his beloved the towel draped over his shoulder. "Let's see. Think I'll start with your legs before going up." Before he can say otherwise, she gets down onto her knees and starts by drying his feet. Until a devilish thought enters her mind.

"Hmm, I wonder if you're as ticklish as Sousuke Jr is." Before he can reply or even stop her, she starts tickling his arches, rendering him helpless in a fit of laughter. Giggling, she keeps up the tickle attack.

"Yep. The old adage is true. 'Like Father, like son'. He's got your feet all right. They'll be good ass-kickers, Sousuke. Along with laughter generators." With that, she ends the tickle assault and dries his feet, much to Sousuke's relief, before moving up to his legs. Suddenly she stops and blinks upon seeing a scar.

"Sousuke, where did this scar come from? The diagonal one on the outside of your left leg." Gently tracing it, she's glad he doesn't flinch. "It must have hurt pretty badly."

"It did. A Cambodian terrorist tried cutting my leg off with a machete. Luckily enough, the blade was dull enough to scratch me, but sharp enough to cut a deep gash in there."

"And the terrorist?"

"I performed amateur brain surgery on her. With my machete. Unlike hers, it was sharp enough to penetrate her skull. I cut her head width-wise. Down to the ears."

"A woman did that and died?" Wincing at the thought, Kaname replies, "Ouch. I bet she had a splitting headache as she died. Why'd she try cutting your leg off, anyway?"

"Affirmative. Her husband was the leader of an insurgent group. He taught her to kill government troops, along with members of rival factions. I infiltrated the camp the terrorists were using, snuck up behind him and severed his carotid artery and jugular vein using my knife. She saw me and we fought. It was the first time I battled and killed a female terrorist. It was also shortly after I joined Mithril's AS forces. My M6 had been disabled prior to my infiltration of the compound. Upon exfil, I performed the needed repairs and met back up with Lieutenant McAllen."

"He was your CO when you first joined the Urzu Team?" At his nod, she gives him a sad smile. "He was a good leader, Sousuke. As for the woman terrorist... Jeez, no wonder you had such lousy luck with women in the past. They were all totally nuts or just plain psycho."

"All except three, Kaname."

"Oh, who?"

"Captain Testarossa, Sergeant Major Mao, and you, my lovely and sexy wife."

Unable to stop a blush from rising, she resumes drying him off. When she gets to his member, wanton sexual thoughts intrude. But she manages to get her mind out of the gutter in time, barely, to dry it before going up to his trunk. When she comes up to his left flank, she softly traces the familiar scar there with her right index finger. Wincing in sympathy as she does so.

"I don't care where you're from, but that had to have hurt. Both going in and out." Next thing she knows, he lightly chuckles and she remembers the current position she's in. The thought of having more sex causes her to blush furiously. "I mean, I'm surprised you didn't scream in pain when you pulled that piece of RK-92 scrap out, Sousuke. Only thing I heard from you was a grunt when you pulled it out."

"It's all a matter of battlefield discipline, Kaname. Screams can be used to pinpoint a wounded soldier's location. For both allies and enemies to find. Allies to be rescued by, or enemies to be killed by." Next thing he knows, she's pecking the scar, softly and slowly along it's length. Subconsciously, she gently grips his member and starts stroking it. "Kaname?"

"It may not heal like that, but it's my way of thanking you for all that you do. You and Mithril take out the garbage in the world. I'm proud to be your wife, Sousuke Sagara, Lieutenant of Mithril."

Resuming drying him off, with only one hand, she notices some smaller scars on his chest and figures they're from small knives. "Let me guess. A bunch of drunks came at you with pocketknives."

"Affirmative. Or rather one anyway. He had wanted me to give him my money. I told him the answer to his problems was not in the bottom of the bottles. He then told me that was why he needed my money. To buy another bottle and find the answer. When I refused, he stabbed me eight times, in a flimsy attempt to kill me."

Keeping a steady pace as she strokes, she asks, "Where was this, Sousuke?"

"Lebanon."

"What happened to him?"

"I shoved a broken bottle into his neck, killing him instantly."

"Yeesh. Looks like another adage is proving true for your life so far. 'Meet interesting people. Then kill them'. You sure really can pick 'em, Sousuke."

"There's an interesting person I haven't killed." Having a sneaking suspicion, Kaname looks up at him, an expectant look on her face. "You, my dear."

Upon seeing her blushing furiously, he gives her a tender kiss on her lips, softly grazing her nipples with his thumbs. The grazing prompts her to keep softly stroking his manhood. They both luxuriate in the tender kiss and groping until Sousuke backs away, his hands still on her breasts and her hand still on his manhood.

"Hmm, Sousuke. If you keep this up, we won't get any work done. At this rate, we'll wind up having even more sex. Of course, who's to say it's a bad thing?"

"You're right, honey. We can do it later." With that, they unhand each other.

Relieved and disappointed at the same time that he had stopped when she did, Kaname adds, "We'll have time for it while we dive and tonight in bed, sweetie."

"Roger, honey." Giving her a soft peck on her forehead, he gives her a soft smile. "I've always wanted to see how you do when you're in a bikini, Kaname."

"Well, it so happens I packed my skimpy white bikini. I'm pretty sure the water's warm today." Going around to his back, she gasps in horror. "How'd you get these, Sousuke? These horizontal scars?"

"Afghani rebel leader at one of the camps used a whip on me. He was cruel and sadistic. It was before I found Zaeid's group."

"What happened to him?"

"A Soviet sniper shot him and blew his brains out while he was whipping me. I believe you know who it was, too."

"Lieutenant Commander Kalinin?"

"Affirmative. Like I said, we were enemies at first. Yet, he had a sense of honor. Especially when it came to child abuse."

"Seems like he did you a favor, Sousuke." Finishing drying him off, she says, "Here you go, Sousuke. All dried up." Taking off her towel, she grins at his eying her. "Like what you see, Sousuke?" Next thing she knows, he softly grips her breasts again and kisses her. With her gripping his manhood again.

When they end the kiss, he replies, "Affirmative. You're a real work of art, Kana-kun."

"Oh, Sous-kun." Giving his manhood one more stroke, she unhands it again swiftly.

With that, she blushes as she starts putting her favorite slip on before her reasonable facsimile of a business suit. While Sousuke dresses before assembling the charges for her to place around the building.

The plan discussed is relatively simple. Kaname is to infiltrate the building, posing as an auditor, while Sousuke is inside Roadwolf, watching her progress. If she could get access to a computer, she'd be able to introduce a 'sniffer' program that can search out references to 'Time-Stop'.

The program would also have a link to Roadwolf's computer so Sousuke'd be able to sift through the information. Along with a link to Mithril's Intelligence Department. The rest, they'd have to make up along the way as they go on.

As she puts her suit on, she asks, "Sousuke, how're we going to do this? If anyone sees us leaving together, they'll be interested in our business. And I mean very."

"You go down the stairwell while I take the elevator and go down to the garage. Keep a low profile as much as you can. You may want to put your hair up in a bun and put on a pair of glasses to avoid recognition if you're spotted."

"Okay. Wanna help me put my hair up?"

"Affirmative. I'm done with the charges and am now placing them into the briefcase here. I've already rigged a false cover with actual items an auditor would use."

"Oh? And just how would you know what an auditor would use?" With a soft smirk, she turns toward her husband. "I'm really quite curious, Sousuke."

"I once took a tutorial on 'Financial Planning' when I joined Mithril. It was quite interesting, but also boring at the same time. Ever since then, I let Accounting handle my financial affairs."

Snickering softly, Kaname says, "Let me guess. No explosions."

"Affirmative. Besides, I'm usually in the field. Can you picture me crunching numbers under heavy enemy fire?"

"Off-hand, not really. Then again, it would be pretty damn funny to see and hear you tell enemy soldiers about the latest annuities, stocks, bonds and all that jazz as you shoot at them."

She can't help but start laughing at the humorous imagery the thought itself prompts. Kaname gives him a soft peck when he gets to her side and helps her to bun her hair. Once he's done, he goes on, admiring his handiwork.

"I had the 'Undercover Division' whip these up for you." He reaches into his rucksack's pocket and brings out a glasses case. "The lenses in the glasses are ordinary window glass. The bridge of the glasses has a small camera built right into it. It's on a dedicated frequency, so I'll be the only one that sees what you see. Since you're still wearing your bracelet, you'll be able to talk to me. Granted, I won't be able to talk with you, but the program will give you cues as to how to proceed."

"Okay. So, I take it I'm driving Roadwolf today."

"Affirmative. I'll meet you one block from the hotel and get into the back seat. You drive Roadwolf to the facility and park in the underground garage. Here's a card. I think you'll like the name I devised for you." Kaname's eyes go over the card and she grins.

"Not quite what I had in mind, but it'll do."

Thirty minutes later, the front desk guard at the facility sees a black sports car roar into the parking lot and down to the underground parking garage.

Shaking his head, he mutters, "Damn crazy driver."

Five minutes later, a strikingly-attractive young woman with blue hair up in a bun and glasses, wearing a simple blue blazer and knee-length skirt, walks right into the facility. Bold as brass. When she gets to him, he sees her eyes are chocolate brown.

Rising and bowing, he asks, "Can I help you, ma'am?"

Bowing in return, the woman replies, "Yes, I'm Yori Takanashi. I'm here to run an audit on the building's books." Bringing out a card, she hands it to the guard, allowing him to read it over. The guard sighs as he shakes his head before he looks at her card again.

"Sorry, Miss Takanashi, but we already have a firm that handles the books."

"Yes, I know already. But, you see, here's the thing. Your auditing firm called my firm and said it was swamped solid. So, they wanted to know if my firm could send someone to look over your books, be sure everything was okay. And so, they sent me."

Scratching his head in sheer puzzlement, the guard replies, "We just had an audit done the other day, though."

"Yeah, well, you know how it is with us bean-counters. We want to be extremely sure when it comes to finances and whatnot."

"I know what you mean, Miss Takanashi. I know exactly what you mean." Smiling softly, he asks, "Do you require anything to assist you?"

"Yes. I need access to all records from every single division within this building. Along with access to a computer with a networking connection."

"Okay. All records are on computer. Anything else?"

"Yes. Someplace quiet so I can work without interruptions."

"Very good, ma'am. If you will, I need you to sign your life away please while I make the arrangements." Passing the log over to her, he gets onto the phone and gives the instructions.

Signing the paperwork, she quips, "I'm not quite sure if I like the sound of that idea. I kinda like my life as it is, if you don't mind." Much to her relief, the guard guffaws and she joins him. "Thank you."

"No problem, ma'am. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to a quiet spot."

"Great. Thank you again." The guard nods as he guides 'Yori' around the building. When they come across a clean room/lab, 'Yori' asks, "What's going on in there?" As she listens, she examines the room intently.

'Fifteen scientists inside. Windows have chicken wire embedded into them. Electronic card reader for security purposes. Hundreds of test tubes filled with green liquid. Hundreds of vials filled with the same. Could it be the "standstill" serum? Looks like they're getting ready to ship.'

"Hell knows, ma'am. Those doctors in there are, from my understanding, working on drugs that can save lives and possibly extend lifespans." Shrugging, he adds, "Like I said, that's just my understanding."

"I see. That sounds very fascinating." Inwardly, she smirks and thinks, 'Gotcha, you slime-balls!'

"So, what kind of car do you drive?"

'Yori' blinks and sheepishly smiles, replying, "I'm sorry. I kinda zoned out there for a bit. What was the question?" The guard gently smiles at her and nods his head.

"Yeah. I can tell you're intrigued by the work in there. In any case, what I was asking you is what kind of car do you drive?"

"Toyota Celica. The newest one, in fact."

"Ah, so you're with that black car I saw roaring into the parking lot before you walked inside. You're a real maniac behind the wheel, you know that, ma'am?"

"Sorry about that. I was just used to driving my Mom's mini-van at times whenever my old vehicle was in the shop. One could hardly get any power out of it. It was so badly sluggish, I'd have to floor it just to get it up to street speed." Much to her relief, the man chuckles again.

"Yeah. Same with me. I hate to do it like that too, but at least it beats the rental rates around here. They're insane if I'm going to pay 500,000 yen a day, just to drive a frickin' rental."

"Geez, and I thought Tokyo was bad when it came to deadly prices. Back in Tokyo, it's only 50,000 yen. I'd say Okinawa is pretty well bad off."

"Yeah, considering it's a tourist's dream. Just between you and me?"

"Sure."

"I think there's something weird going on here. Maybe connected to that room for all I know."

"What kind of weirdness?"

"Well, I'm sure you heard about one of our older facilities having been destroyed last night."

"Yeah, I have."

"In any case, I was the front desk guard there as well. When they finished building this building three years ago, I was assigned to transfer here." 'Yori' could detect a note of sadness in the man's voice as he goes on. "When our son passed away fifteen years ago, we just wanted to move away, but something in the company is holding us back."

"What happened?"

"One day, he was just playing with his friends when he just collapsed. A lively, young five-year-old boy, just plain collapsed. The Doctors were baffled. They had no idea what it was. Six months afterward, we had no choice but to pull the plug on him. We couldn't afford to pay for continued life support."

Tears begin streaming down his face as he goes on. "Had he lived, he'd be twenty right now. Every day that passed and he hadn't regained consciousness, the Doctors continually lost hope."

"What happened then? Didn't you have health insurance here?"

"Yeah, but it didn't cover pre-existing conditions though."

"He'd done it before?" She begins physically clenching her fists, a move that's caught by the grieving guard.

"Yes. Ever since he was a baby, he'd done it. Against his own will, no less." Looking her over, he then asks, "Do you have children? I noticed you clenching your fists."

Loosening her fists, 'Yori' replies, "No, not yet. I'm hoping to find someone that'll put up with me. Then I can concentrate on having kids."

"When you do, cherish them as long as you can, Miss Takanashi. Life's just too frickin' short to do otherwise. You know what I mean?"

"Yes, I think I do. Thank you." Scowling on the inside, she thinks, 'This poor man had to bury his son because this 'Emperor' guy wants to live forever! There are some days I simply hate being Japanese!'

Following the guard, she asks, "What would you do if it turned out to be something not quite Medical or genetic?"

Perplexed, the guard blinks, asking, "How do you mean?"

"Hypothetically, say someone was wanting to maintain control over something. Only, they're not going to chance it backfiring on them. So, instead they use innocent little babies to test their sadistic experiments on."

"You were a test subject once, weren't you?"

"Not quite for that, but scarily close enough." She can't help but shudder over the psychotic gleam of that crazed woman's eyes. Remembering what she had done to that woman a year afterward, she strengthens her resolve. "But I was able to fight back and escape. Then I got my revenge!"

"I'd like to hear about that sometime. In the meantime, however, here's that quiet space you require. There's a computer hooked up already inside, as it is often used by the scientists in that room." Turning his way back to his desk, he adds, "If I had the opportunity, I'd kill the heartless bastards and bitches."

As he walks away, the 'Yori' facade fades away. Leaving a young blue-haired woman named Kaname Chidori-Sagara. Needless to say, Kaname is pissed at the scientists within the lab.

Kaname then softly smirks and says, "Not if we get them first." Going into the room, she closes and locks the door. "I'm in, Sousuke. In a way, I'm glad you can't talk to me cause I know you're bound to start swearing up a storm. On the other hand, it's everything in me to not start going ape shit on this dump. The only thing that keeps me calm is you and our baby, my love."

Reaching into her blouse's internal pocket, she says, "I'm bringing out and putting the disk in now." With that, she walks over to the computer and slips the disk into the slot as she sits down.

Following the prompts, she lightly giggles, remembering the night of Sousuke preparing for his 'date' with Mizuki Inaba. "Here's a nice touch of irony for you, Sousuke. You talked about a computer hacking scene during that all-night cram session. Now, here I am hacking into a computer so you can browse through it's hard drive." Selecting 'download', she types in it's 'designation', knowing the link will work.

"Adam-2525 should provide an excellent cover." As the download begins, Kaname opens her briefcase and removes the false panel. "Security is way too lax around here. He never even checked the briefcase, or even given it a cursory glance. He deserves to live, Sousuke. He even wants a chance for bloodshed."

Bringing out a charge, she says, "I'm going to put this right at the clean room/lab's door and bust the electronic lock on the door with a round from your Glock, trapping those mad scientists inside."

Bringing out a silencer from the blazer and the Glock from her hip, she affixes the silencer to the barrel and primes the weapon. "Those baka bastards won't know what hit them." With that, she transfers the charges into a small duffel from her back and conceals the Glock before exiting the room.

When she gets to the clean room/lab, she points the Glock at the electronic device and pulls the trigger. The silenced hollow-point round destroys the reader, it's plastic casing shattering from the impact.

Within the shattered box, sparks fly from the mutilated electronics within, grey acrid smoke rising from it. She then kneels down to the floor and places a charge of C-4 on the floor in front of the door, all while setting the timer.

'Ten minutes should do. Once I get all charges set, I'll remote-activate the timers and we'll split.'

Inside Roadwolf, Sousuke opens the file marked 'Adam-2525' and begins looking over the documents. After five minutes of reading, he thinks, 'This is plenty of evidence that the 'standstill' condition originated from the company alright. At the former facility, no less. But, no sign of the financial backers or an antidote. Hello. A transaction, from Shanghai China, twenty-five years ago. Plus another, from outside of Okinawa twenty-two years ago.'

Typing on the keyboard to query about the first one, he says, "Let's see who you belonged to, bubba." Upon getting his answer, he says something he'd never expected himself to say. "Oh, for the love of fish." Querying about the second one, he sees a name he's not familiar with, but, yet, can't help but feel like he should be familiar with it.

Back inside the facility, Kaname is steadily, yet stealthily, planting the charges into concealment when she feels a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Takanashi? What are you doing?" Looking up to see the guard, a stunned expression on his face, she takes the direct route.

"What does it look like?" Her voice loses it's sweetness and is replaced by heated anger. "I'm planting bombs, to bring this dump down. If you have any wits about you, calmly evacuate all innocent people from here. Except for those no good sons of bitches in that clean room/lab. Besides, it won't even do any good. Seeing as I had destroyed the lock with my husband's Glock."

"Your husband? Who are you?"

"No time for chit-chat. I've got work to do. If you value your life and still want some payback, just do what I said. And, since I set all the charges already." She brings out a remote and presses the button. "You now have ten minutes, counting down, to start the evacuation."

Checking his watch, he replies, "Well, it so happens to be getting close to break time anyway. Think I'll give an early call." Smirking wickedly, he adds, "Besides, I never liked those jerky nuts. They always talked down to me."

With that, he starts calmly walking away and announcing that break-time for the day is near. With the announcement, the other people exit the building, intent on having a nice, leisurely lunch. Also, to beat the lunch-time traffic.

Inside the clean-room, the scientists and chemists working on their latest batch of serum responsible for the 'standstill' condition check their watches and see it's indeed nearly time for break. Upon reaching the door, the lead scientist swipes his card, only for there to be no reaction. Swiping it again, he gets the same. No reaction.

"What is going on here?" He then sees an attractive young woman with blue hair up in a bun and removing her glasses walking by the lab. "Can you please help us out of here, Miss? The code is Zulu-Alpha-Tango-Five-Two-Four." Much to his surprise, the young woman chuckles and shakes her head in amusement. "I don't see what's so amusing."

"I sure do. But first, I have a question for you. What's that green liquid in those vials behind you?"

"They are the future of this company. The vials are part of the 'Time-Stop' Project. We inject the serum into children, to extend their lifespans. Granted, their families do get terribly upset when their children come grinding to a sudden halt. But, you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs."

"Okay. That confirms my hunch. Here's another one for you." Upon seeing the scientist nod his readiness, she asks, "Why would I want to help a bunch of loser mad scientists escape their fucking doom? Especially those callous and sadistic enough to use innocent children for their experiments?"

"Miss, please! It was in the interest of science."

"Mad science, perhaps. Not true science. Nope. Whatever you loser bozos get, you sorely deserve. Besides, it won't do any good, seeing as your outer lock is busted. Because I'm the one that busted it."

Making to walk away, Kaname heads back toward the office she was in and gets her briefcase out before walking away and undoing her bun as she does so.

"Please, we were under orders, Miss!" That alone causes Kaname to pause and return to the door.

"Whose orders?"

"The 'Emperor' of Japan. As one of his loyal subjects, you're required to submit to his agents' demands. So, as an agent of the 'Emperor', I demand you open this door, young lady!"

Kaname shakes her head and replies, "Nope. Not gonna happen. In case you don't already know, this supposed 'Emperor' guy's never even had my loyalty. Hell, he's not even Japan's Emperor. He just gave himself that title. My guess is due to his suffering delusions of grandeur."

Puzzled, the scientist says, "I thought it was gander."

"It's grandeur, you dumb shit. Jeez, for someone that's supposed to be highly-educated, you're as smart as a pile of rocks. In fact, you make my husband look like a real genius rocket scientist, compared to you! And he's a highly-skilled soldier! Come to think of it, he is much smarter than you are!"

"You have a lot of nerve to refuse my demand and insult my superior intellect. Let alone compare me to your husband. Very well. In that case then, I demand to know who you are!"

"Me? I'm the wife of the guy that takes out the planet's worst kind of garbage. Guess what you guys are. You're the garbage to be taken out for today. Only you're much more than garbage. You're so filthy, I'll need to take twenty showers within twenty-four hours. Just to get rid of the awful smell."

To emphasize her point, she holds her nose with one hand and waves the air around with the other. "You guys smell so terrible, I'll be lucky to not start vomiting right on the spot." Unable to resist laughing cruelly, she does so.

Now panicked and angry, the man yells, "Let us out now or else!"

"Nah, I don't think so. Especially since I know this 'Emperor' guy is only interested in saving his own damn ass from meeting with the Almighty. You, however, have your own appointment. I'm just here to be sure you keep it."

Waving her fingers cheerily before giving them her middle finger, Kaname adds, smiling evilly, "Ta-ta. Happy trails and very deadly fucking landings. Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers."

Another scientist, fearful of the prospect of death, asks, "What are you going to do to us?"

"Oh, let's see. I placed enough plastic explosives around here to bring this damn dump down around you. I even placed one right at your lab's door to blow you all, along with your crap, sky high. You do the math." Pausing briefly, she then asks, "What do you think I'm going to do, you lousy, no-good sons of bitches?"

With tears falling from her chocolate-brown eyes, she asks, "Do you have any idea as to how many people you had hurt or scared with that 'standstill' crap you creeps cooked up? How many families you devastated, let alone destroyed over the years? Do you even care that you caused innocent children to die? Do you? DO YOU, YOU BAKA BASTARDS?"

Another scientist comes to the door and says, "Miss, you will let us out or we'll fuck with you when we get out of here."

Still seething, she replies, "Nope. My husband is the only one that gets to fuck with me. Besides, what makes you think you'll get out of there?"

"I know where the next shipment's going to." The remark is enough to make Kaname blink her eyes before narrowing them.

"Shipment? What shipment?"

"The shipment to the Okinawa Hospital's Maternity Ward. It should be there shortly. Now that you know, I expect us to be compensated with our release." The other scientists nod in agreement with him. "It's only fair that you let us out."

"No chance in hell, you crazy, duck-fucking bastards." Smiling evilly now, Kaname then adds, "Like my darling husband told Gauron two years ago that night at sea, I'm sending you all straight to Hell!"

"Gauron? Your husband knows Gauron?"

"Yep. Or rather he knew that terrorist psycho. I guess you might even say that Sousuke has an explosive temper when it comes to him. Makes sense. Especially since he blew Gauron's carcass to bits."

Checking her watch, Kaname adds, still smiling, "You guys now have less than five minutes to make your peace with God. I suggest you use them wisely and do so. Who knows? He may be merciful toward you. Because my husband and I sure won't be. Quite frankly, in my opinion, you baka assholes deserve no mercy."

Walking away now, she says, "Toodles. We're going to go after the shipment now." Giving them a slight wave with her fingers to the rear, Kaname keeps walking toward the door, ignoring their protests.

"Let us out of here!"

"Let us out! Please!"

"Come back here and let us out, you blue-haired bitch!"

As the men yell angrily, Kaname just whistles casually, like she doesn't have a care in the world. While she whistles the tune, she finds it appropriate, having remembered the one scene in 'The Punisher' when the bad guy was dragged behind his car while the hero detonated the planted charges as he walked away.

Smirking softly, she then thinks, 'We punish the guilty. And you guys are so guilty.'

Once out of sight of the lab, Kaname remembers what the scientist said. Bringing the bottom of her wrist up, she says, "Sousuke, we've got problems. I'm on my way out now. Be ready to give me ordnance advice."

With that, she begins running out the door, only to be stopped by the guard. "No time to talk now! There's a shipment of that crap heading for the Hospital as we speak!"

"What crap, Miss Takanashi?"

"Remember what I asked you earlier?" At his nod, she goes on. "There are bad people wanting to do terrible things to innocent babies and children. I know, just as my husband knows. We met two that have the same condition your son had."

"You mean they're still alive?"

"Yes. One of them is married while the other is trapped in a little girl's body. Now, stop your yammering and come along!" The guard nods as he follows Kaname to Roadwolf. "Get in, quickly."

Once Kaname and the guard are inside, Kaname says, "I'll introduce you guys later. Sousuke, how do I fire the turbos? Activating ECS invisible mode."

"Right thumb. There's a button on the steering wheel, right where your thumb is. ECS is active."

"I see it. Thanks. Give me full turbos, Sousuke."

"Full turbos."

Once Kaname hits the button, the now-invisible car bursts forward at incredible speed, exiting the underground garage. As it exits, it lets out a banshee-like scream, catching the attention of all three within the car. Along with the crowd walking away from the facility. Upon seeing no sign of the source, they shrug and go about their business.

Impressed with the car's speed and scream, the guard remarks, "This is incredible. The car sounds like it's alive."

"Sweetie, we're gonna have to tell Tessa about this. It kinda did the same thing yesterday while we were leaving the village and after we blew up that building last night. Only it was a light growl."

"Affirmative. I agree, honey. But how do we go about it?"

Seconds later, the charges inside the facility detonate. Inside the clean room/lab, the fifteen scientists inside are incinerated instantly as the charge at the door blows. The flames against the chemicals trigger a chain reaction within the serum, causing it to detonate. Severely.

Upon seeing the building go up in the mirror, Kaname asks, "Sousuke, did you see any kind of vehicles leave that flaming dump in the last few minutes?"

"Affirmative. A truck. Late model. It had a linen company's logo on it. I already ran a search. It's a dummy corporation owned by 'Royalty Holdings'. There's something else."

"What's that, Sousuke?"

"Gauron was one of the financial backers, back around the time the Sho-Da-Kah started up. Plus another name. It's striking a chord with me for some reason, but why that is I have no idea at all."

"That fits about Gauron. As for the other name, it's probably from one of your past briefings, Sousuke."

"Yeah, that makes some sense. But, with a name like that, I'm sure I'd recall it from my past briefings. It's probably nothing major."

"Yeah. Just keep the faith, Sousuke." Blinking, she adds, "When I mentioned Gauron, one of those scientists asked me about him. Like he personally knew the guy or was one of his friends."

Snorting incredulously, Sousuke retorts, "I find it hard to believe Gauron had a social life, let alone friends. In my experience, he was always 'anti-social'. Given his penchant for killing."

"Well, it seems he had his fingers in quite a few pies then. That would explain his business dealings in the past few years."

"So it would seem, Kaname. The data has been forwarded to the Intelligence Division for them to peruse, just in case I missed anything." The guard looks perplexedly back and forth between the two before chiming in.

"I thought your name was Yori."

"It's not. I'm Kaname Sagara, Mithril spouse. Call sign, Angel. My husband is Sousuke Sagara, Lieutenant of Mithril. Call sign, Urzu 7. ID number B-3128."

Sousuke then says, "Kaname, I'm picking up the truck on radar. It seems to be turning around. I guess the driver heard the blast. I'm giving you chain guns one and two."

"Copy that. How do I fire them?"

"Outside rim of the steering wheel, there are two triggers, right where your index fingers are."

"ADF pod fire control?"

"Thumb, left hand side."

"What do you recommend for the truck, Sousuke?"

"A Maverick missile. Highly reliable and efficient. We have two in the payload."

"Okay. Give me the pod and a Maverick as well, please." Grinning upon hearing the armaments get into firing position, Kaname thinks, 'And to think I wouldn't have fun in my life. This is going to be fun. Of course, nothing beats having sex with Sousuke! Sex is a lot of fun with Sousuke!'

"Chain guns one and two set. ADF pod deployed and Maverick is armed."

"Roger that. Let's open up with the chain guns, shall we." Squeezing both triggers upon seeing the truck's front end, Kaname growls, "You're not injecting anymore defenseless babies or kids, you fucking monsters!" Within seconds, the truck's engine is destroyed and the driver jumps out, gun in hand.

Once the driver jumps out, he quickly notices that the bullets just came out of nowhere. Quickly analyzing his options, he chooses the smart thing to do. Running away, dropping his gun as he flees.

Kaname looks over at the guard and moves her left hand out of the way. Her voice soft and gentle again, she asks, "You want to do the honors?"

"Yes, I do. Very much."

"Go ahead. Have at." The guard nods and places his thumb right on the button. "For your son, sir."

"Yes. For my son." Once the guard presses the button, all three watch the missile fly toward it's target, straight and true until it meets the truck's front end and explodes.

An even bigger explosion happens as the chemicals within the truck ignite. As the truck burns, Kaname turns Roadwolf around and heads back to the earlier scene. With the car emitting a light growl. While the gathered crowd looks frantically around for the source of the gunfire and missile. Along with the growl.

Along the way, Sousuke deactivates the weapons, the ECS invisible mode and makes a copy of the information. "This should clear up any and all misunderstandings that'll happen for the next few days." Handing it to the guard, he adds, "I'm sorry about your son, sir. As a new Father myself, I find what they did to yours repulsive."

"Then..."

"Correct. Kaname was working undercover, given that I'd have stuck out like a sore thumb."

"Good plan." Remembering what Kaname had said, he asks, "Mithril, huh? You guys hiring by any chance? Seeing as I'm now unemployed."

Much to his surprise, Kaname chuckles. "They're always looking for a few good men and women, sir. I know, because I have a good man in my life right now. And a beautiful little boy that'll grow up to be another good man."

"The other two you came across? The ones like my son. Where are they living?"

"Lake Bima, sir. It's a small, isolated village that time seems to have forgotten. It was our first stop of our honeymoon trip." Kaname looks over at him and adds, "It'd be a perfect place for you and your wife to relocate to. Start anew and all."

"I see." The guard accepts the disk and shakes Sousuke's hand. "I'll get this to an old friend of mine. She works on the Sengawa district Police in Tokyo. She's a little loopy, but at least she's clean. I'd trust her with my life immensely if I had to." Sousuke and Kaname exchange a glance and Sousuke then turns toward the former guard.

"She wouldn't happen to be Yoko Wakana, would she?"

"Why yes, Lieutenant. How do you know her?"

Kaname smirks softly and replies, "We ran into her a few times before." When they get close to the scene, she pulls to the curb and says, "We need to take care of something. Will you be all right?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'll just walk from here, gather my thoughts and work some shit out."

Nodding, Sousuke replies, "A reasonable plan. Good luck to you."

"You as well, Lieutenant and Mrs Sagara." As the guard exits the car, Sousuke and Kaname see another face. One they hadn't even expected to see at all.

"Sousuke, isn't that Mr Altobelli?"

"It is, Kaname. But, what could he be doing here in Okinawa?"

"It's a good question, Sousuke. Let's find out."

"Roger." With that, Kaname wheels the car over to Leo Altobelli and gets a look at his fishing outfit.

"Mr Altobelli, what are you doing here? Sousuke and I thought you'd be back in Metro by now. Here, get in."

"Thanks. Don't mind if I do." Smiling, the man does so, replying as the car rolls out, "I found myself liking Japan, so I thought I'd stick around for a few days before going back to Metro. Get some fishing in while I'm here. So I told the others to go on ahead with what they're going to do without me."

Looking over the car's interior, he nods in approval and adds, "It's a very nice car, Mrs Sagara. But, where's the Lieutenant at?"

"I'm back here, Mr Altobelli. We had something to contend with."

"I see. Anything I should know about?"

"Other than Gauron having been linked to a company named 'Royalty Holdings', not really."

"Ah, so you're responsible for the carnage over there. Very good. So, what brings you here?"

"Second leg of our honeymoon, sir." As an afterthought, Sousuke asks, "Do you know where Mr and Mrs Tuttle were, Mr Altobelli? We didn't see them at graduation. All Ron told us is that they were at a better place and gave me a piece of paper with an address on it."

"Half of an address, right?"

Nodding as she resumes driving, Kaname replies, "Yes, sir. The city, at least. How'd you know?"

"I have the other half. Ron figured if I wanted to see Norman, Jane and Norma again, I should at least know what house they're in. Since they trust me with his life, they told me he was here in Okinawa."

Intrigued, Kaname asks, "So they've all been in Okinawa for the past two and a half months? But, why?"

"Remember when Ron told you about the team being decommissioned and ComCen's destruction?"

Nodding, Sousuke replies, "Yes, sir. We do."

"Well, on the flight to your graduation, Ron said that the whole thing was 1,000 miles of bad road. So, upon their return home from DC after the meeting, they had decided and agreed to conceal the vehicles and relocate them to a different location. Of course, they had no choice since ComCen was destroyed before their return. Since Norman's name was on record for the project, he had to do a vanishing act. Taking Jane and Norma with him."

"And they vanished to here." Altobelli gives Sousuke a nod as he goes on. "What's Mr Tuttle up to? Is he still designing vehicles? This car seems to be his handiwork. Even Kaname thinks so."

"No idea. But I think he's wanting to keep a low profile as much as possible, given what had happened to the team and ComCen's destruction. Truth be told, we'll probably find him pulling weeds out of a garden." Handing Sousuke the paper, he adds, "This has the address to his house on it."

"Roger. I'm entering it now."

Seconds later, he gets precise GPS directions and gives them to Kaname as she drives the car. Five minutes later, they're in front of the house and, sure enough, they all see Norman Tuttle pulling weeds out of a small garden. Chuckling, they all exit the car.

"I never thought I'd see the day that Norman Tuttle would show he has a green thumb. It's a vast improvement, Norman. Looks like you had even gotten yourself a tan. Looking good, pal."

A grey curly-haired Norman looks up at the voice and smiles widely upon seeing Altobelli coming from a black sports car. His smile goes even wider upon seeing Sousuke and Kaname coming out of the car as well. Getting up from his spot, Norman brushes his hands off as he greets them.

"Leo, Sousuke, Kaname. What brings you guys here?"

Altobelli grins and replies, "I just happened to be looking for you to see about us doing some fishing together when these two showed up. At near a destroyed Medical lab facility, no less." Norman nods at them all before looking at the car. Suddenly, his jaw drops.

"That's the XJ-59-A. How's it handle? It's good to see it got to you two. It looks even better than I expected."

Kaname asks, "How do you know it is what you say it is? It handles just fine. Mithril had arranged and built it, using a basic Toyota Celica."

"I designed it's computer and weapon platforms. I submitted it's plans to Mithril just for you guys as a present for your wedding and graduation. Of course, I had Bonnie send the plans to Mithril."

Both teens' jaws drop before Sousuke says, "No wonder the whole car seemed to have your name written all over it."

Kaname's eyes tear up as she asks, "You mean it's not really a rental, but it's for us? We actually own it?"

"Yes, I do, Mrs Sagara. It's all yours. At least it's supposed to be that way." Suddenly, he's wrapped in her arms, with her sobbing softly. "Hey, hey now. No need for tears." Next thing he knows, he hears Kaname's sobs turn into sadistic chortling. Upon hearing it, Sousuke swiftly moves Altobelli to the side.

"You first fail to show up at our wedding three months ago, our graduation the other week, and yet you have the utter nerve to give us such a lovely, violent gift in absentia?"

"Yep. Sorry." 

"Not good enough! There's only one possible way for me to thank and punish you at the same time. TICKLING!" Kaname's slender fingers go all over Norman's body as he convulses into helpless laughter. As she tickles Norman, Sousuke's jaw drops to the ground before he starts guffawing. With Altobelli right behind him.

"Norman, what's going on out here?" Jane Tuttle pokes her head out the front door, saying, "I heard a young woman yelling just before you started laughing. Oh my." Upon seeing Sousuke and Kaname, she smiles. "Nice to see you again, Miss Chidori, Sergeant Sagara."

"Oh, about that. Sousuke's a Lieutenant now and my last name is Sagara now." Giving Jane a warm smile, Kaname adds, "It's nice to see you again too, Mrs Tuttle." Giving her a light frown, she then says, "I still can't believe Ron and the others were up and just plain decommissioned. I thought they had some unfinished business with the Sho-Da-Kah."

"Evidently, the Government thought otherwise. Ultimately, it's out of our hands. Besides, the Sho-Da-Kah knows it's been soundly defeated. If it tries to recover and comes back in the future, the local authorities will be more than prepared." Norman gives Kaname a slight grin, adding, "Ron thought the team should go renegade. But, there's a slight problem with the idea."

"What could that be? It'll keep the team active at least."

"Sure. Up until the fuel in the cycles is fully expended."

"So you just put more gas in their tanks. I swear, Norman. You make things far too complicated or dramatic." Suddenly, she's taken aback by the saddened look on his face.

"Kaname, the cycles don't use ordinary gasoline. They use a synthetic jet fuel that runs much cleaner than ordinary gasoline or regular jet fuel does. Even more, the Hyperthrust requires high-test factor octane to function properly. You can't get that with ordinary gasoline. Basically, the first cycle was revolutionary, way ahead of it's time, much like the newer model. So, I designed it with speed, agility, and the environment all in mind."

"So, once the cycles run out of fuel, they'll be rendered immobile. Not good."

"Correct, Lieutenant Sagara. And indeed on the not good portion."

Altobelli then asks, "Is there any way the fuel can be synthesized again?"

"Only if I had the formula with me. But, it went up in the blaze at ComCen. Even my filing cabinet was in there. Regarding Jesse Mach, his days under you, his motocross days and all the times I had to patch bullet holes in the original cycle."

"What about analysis? Analyzing the fuel and identifying the components? Would that work? I'm sure Mithril has the ability. Doesn't it, Sousuke?"

"Affirmative, Kaname."

"It'll only work partially on identifying, Kaname. You'd also have to get the mix right. Too lean, it won't go as fast. Too rich, detonation is a distinct possibility."

"And the only way to precisely measure the mix was in the blaze." At Norman's nod, Sousuke grimaces before perking up, asking, "What about the Government files? I'm sure you gave them copies of all your notes. Including the fuel mixtures indicating success."

"Yes, but they're now under lock and key at the Justice building. There's no way it can be done."

"Maybe. But Mithril does have friends in high places. I'll be right back." Going back down to Roadwolf, he punches in the code for communications. "Roadwolf to Merida Island. Do you read? Over."

"_This is Merida Island. Go ahead, Roadwolf."_ Tessa's cheery face comes up on the screen and notices Sousuke's sudden scowl. _"Lieutenant Sagara? Is something the matter?"_

"Why didn't you tell us that Mr Tuttle had designed Roadwolf, Madam Captain? Even more, he says it's for us."

"_I had no idea it was Mr Tuttle's design, Lieutenant Sagara. It came to us anonymously about two and a half months ago. I had been wracking my brains about it. And you know how enigmatic our friends could be. As for it being for you, I read over the note yesterday and finally realized it's for you and Kaname. Not Mithril. Congratulations, Lieutenant."_

"Affirmative. My apologies, Madam Captain."

"_Oh, don't worry about it, Lieutenant. How's the honeymoon going so far?" _Blinking, she then asks, _"Why are you calling anyways?"_

"In that order, it's going quite well. Destroyed a shipment of 'standstill' chemical a while ago. We also destroyed the facility that it was being made at. I forwarded the data to Mithril Intelligence. While we were there, we came across Mr Altobelli. Ultimately, he led us to see Mr and Mrs Tuttle."

"_Good work, Lieutenant. Both to you and your wife." _Her eyes suddenly going wide in shock, she asks, _"Mr and Mrs Tuttle are there? In Okinawa? They both are? Mr Altobelli's still there in Japan and in Okinawa? I thought he'd have been back in Metro by now."_

"Affirmative, Madam Captain. They've been here for the past two and a half months ever since Team Hawk was decommissioned and ComCen was destroyed. We just happened to have come across Mr Altobelli at the scene. Kaname and I thought the same thing too when it came to Mr Altobelli." His tone then goes grave as he adds, "It's another reason I'm calling, Madam Captain. Does Mithril have any assets in the DC area?"

"_To what end, Lieutenant?"_

"The fuel that the Team Hawk motorcycles use. It's a synthesized type of jet fuel, not available at regular gas stations. The mixture formula is under lock and key in one of the Government Offices. The Justice office, in particular."

"_I'll have Intelligence check, Lieutenant Sagara. In the meantime, I'd like to speak with Mr Tuttle regarding his unique method of submitting vehicle plans to Mithril. Also, Mr Kazama, Miss Tokiwa and Sousuke Jr are here on the island. Sergeant Major Mao and Sergeant Weber are with them right now."_

"Understood, Madam Captain." Sighing, he adds, "Thank goodness they're all safe."

"_Lieutenant? Is there something wrong? Does it have to do with Miss Tokiwa's visitor yesterday? And please, call me Tessa, Sousuke. You're not exactly on duty right now."_

"Affirmative, Madam Captain. It's possible the visitor had intended to inject Sousuke Jr with a chemical responsible for 'standstills'. But, Kyoko didn't let him." When he sees Tessa's face darken, he mildly says, "Oops. Sorry, Tessa."

"_Don't worry about that, Sousuke. I think I'm about to start swearing again. Contact back here in three hours. If I answer, you'll know it's safe. If I don't answer, but Lieutenant Commander Kalinin does, it means I'm not quite through swearing yet."_

"Understood, Madam Captain. Ending transmission." Catching Tessa's soft and bitter smile as the screen winks off, he mutters, "Those guys are so lucky she's in command of a submarine. Because if she were in the field, she'd tear them new assholes." Suddenly smirking at the thought of the usually gentle Captain ripping the crazies' rear ends apart, he lets out an amused snort. "Then again, they do deserve it."

Stepping out of Roadwolf, he heads back up to Norman's house and sees Kaname fussing over a baby girl. "Sousuke, come meet Norma Tuttle." As Sousuke gets closer, Kaname adds, "In sixteen years, she's going to be a heartbreaker. Yes, you are. Just like Sousuke Jr's going to be. Hopefully, he won't have to be a lifetaker."

"Maybe we should get these two together often. Make a play-date for them once a month. Something like that."

"Oh Sousuke, that's such a very good idea. I'm glad you thought of it." Kaname grins as she kisses her beloved and turns back to the little girl. "What do you think, Norma?" At Norma's giggle, Kaname can't help but giggle as well.

"Just don't let Sousuke Jr get too carried away with his graceful antics. Leave that to his Daddy." Looking up at Sousuke, she gives him a smirk and adds, "After all, his Daddy's antics are a lot more fun."

"I'm curious about something."

Looking at Norman, Sousuke asks, "What's that, Mr Tuttle?"

"What are you guys doing here in Okinawa? Shouldn't you be in Tokyo or in the field somewhere, Lieutenant?"

"We're on our honeymoon, Norman. We left Tokyo several days ago and went to a small village that's quiet and peaceful. For the most part, at least." Kaname grins at her husband as she goes on. "Okinawa happened to have been our next stop before we go on to the Onken resort."

"I see. What do you intend to do while you're here in Okinawa?"

"Let's see. We already did some death, destruction and mayhem earlier. So, all that's left for us to do here is go scuba diving together for the next few days."

"Ever have lessons?"

"Only a crash course in the topic, courtesy of Lieutenant Lunacy here. Back when he was Sergeant Sabotage. But, he did help me through it."

Intrigued, Altobelli asks, "When you say crash course, what exactly do you mean?"

"He had me change to my swimsuit, put on a wetsuit, harnessed us together and dumped us out over the ocean. In mid-air, no less. When we splashed down, I was so angry, I started clobbering him. When the sub's retrieval unit came up, I understood what was going on. Sousuke helped me put a regulator into my mouth and down we went."

Blushing rosily, she adds, "As we headed for the sub underwater, I actually thought about how much fun it would be if it was the two of us, alone, scuba diving. This was long before we got together."

"I see. Sounds like you two had interesting lives and even more interesting experiences."

"Affirmative, Mr Altobelli."

Jane smiles at the infant in Kaname's arms and then the young couple. "I never actually got the chance to see your son. Any pictures?"

"Yep." Kaname reaches into her handbag and brings out a small envelope. Opening it, she goes through the pictures until she finds what she's looking for. "Here's Sousuke Sr and Jr together, Jane." Much to her surprise, all three adults come close to look at the picture.

A proudly-beaming Sousuke Sr, in his fatigues, holding a barely-awake Sousuke Jr in his arms, wearing an infant-sized set of fatigues. Complete with little black booties, with rubber soles on the bottom of them and an SRT patch just above his heart.

Norman and Altobelli can only shake their heads in amusement while Jane finds it simply adorable.

"When was the picture taken, Kaname?"

"Last month, Jane. Sergeant Major Melissa Mao, one of Sousuke's comrades, had made it herself. Personally, her seeing Sousuke Jr must have stirred her maternal instincts. She did a very good job on it."

Shaking her head in disbelief, she's stunned that Melissa was so talented to make it. Let alone not only be a soft-heart on the inside, but also a beautiful, butch and foul-mouthed woman on the outside.

"Well, far be it for us to keep you two from enjoying your honeymoon. You two go diving and I'll keep Norman company."

"Okay, Mr Altobelli. Bye, Norma." Handing her back to Jane, Kaname turns to Sousuke and says, "Let's go diving, honey."

"Roger." Turning his attention to Norman, he says, "Captain Testarossa is working on getting access to your notes, Mr Tuttle."

"Thanks. Have a good time, you two." As Sousuke and Kaname return to Roadwolf, he turns to Altobelli and asks, "Can I interest you in a cup of tea, Leo?"

"Sounds quite nice, Norman. We can catch up while we drink."

As he wheels Roadwolf away from the house's curb, Sousuke remarks, "We need to come by here more often, Kaname."

"Indeed, Sousuke. First, though, we need to go back to the hotel so we can get our swimsuits. Then we need to find a scuba shop. Then, when we get into the water, we find a private spot, strip off our suits and then we can have hot passionate sex underwater. Matter of fact, when it's time for you to let loose, I want you outside of me. I want to see it as it comes out."

"Roger." Driving the car back to the Queen Hotel Okinawa, Sousuke notices a pensive look on Kaname's face. "You okay, Kaname?"

"Just thinking, Sousuke. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave Sousuke Jr with Kyoko after all. I mean, it's our honeymoon and all, and honeymoons usually mean the couple only, not including their children. But, still..."

"I understand, Kaname. You can't stand the thought of our son being vulnerable to hostile attack. But, I do have some good news, though."

"What is it? And don't you dare tell me you saved a bunch of money on our car insurance."

"Well, that too." At Kaname's exasperated giggle and eye roll, he chuckles and goes on. "But, our son and friends are on Merida Island right now."

Nodding happily, she replies, "That's fine with me. As long as he's nowhere near those bozos, I have no problems."

At the 'Emperor's Palace, he's throwing a massive tirade at the flunky that had just informed him. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WAS ALL DESTROYED? EVERY SINGLE VIAL AND TEST TUBE? THE LAB AS WELL? ALONG WITH THE SCIENTISTS?"

Meekly, not wanting to incur any more wrath from the 'Emperor', he replies, "Yes, my Emperor. Every single one." Last thing the flunky sees is the 'Emperor' getting a katana blade and swinging it toward his neck.

As the headless corpse falls to the floor, the 'Emperor' screams, "THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! IDIOT! YOU USELESS IDIOT!" Seeing the flunky's head at his feet, he grins sadistically and yells, "Field goal!" Kicking it, he watches it sail into the wall, the lower portion leaving a bloody stain upon impact with the wall. Right then, his aide comes in.

"My Emperor. I have a report." Turning around, the 'Emperor' puts his blood-covered katana back into it's sheath and sits back down.

"Talk to me. Tell me the shipment got through. Please. At least please tell me those wonderfully magical words."

"It did not, my Emperor." Upon hearing those words, the 'Emperor' slumps his head down in disappointment. "According to the truck's driver, he had heard the explosion at the lab and was heading back there when the truck had sustained major damage to it's engine. From an unseen source."

"Unseen? That makes no sense whatsoever. Go on."

"Yes, my Emperor. The driver searched for the source, but he couldn't see it. So, weighing his options, he fled."

"Off with his head! Cowards like that shouldn't be allowed to live! What of the shipment?"

"Destroyed. A missile came out of nowhere and destroyed both the truck and all the vials."

"A missile? Out of nowhere?"

"Yes, my Emperor. Unless I miss my guess, I'd say this is a campaign against your project, my Emperor. A destructive campaign at that."

"Who is responsible for this?" Turning his chair around, willing himself to suppress the urge to kill the man in the office with him, he asks, "Who can it be?"

Meanwhile, another couple is arriving in Okinawa and heading to the beach. Thirty minutes later, they arrive at their destination.

"This is where we used to come all the time during the summertime, Liz."

"It's very nice, Luke. Say, I've got my scuba certification. How about you, honey?"

"Yep. What do you have in mind, honey?"

"Oh, just some diving for part of our honeymoon."

"Hmm, I love the way you think, Elizabeth Sagara." Luke Sagara grins at his wife just before grimacing. "I just wish I could have invited Sousuke and Kaname to the wedding. But, they had school to finish."

"Well, you know what they say. 'Education is key in life. Whether it be in school or regular living'. That holds true, I believe."

"It sure does, Liz." Looking around as he drives the blue rental Mazda Miata convertible, he adds, "This will be a honeymoon to remember."

"You got that right." Elizabeth grins at her husband, adding, "I've got a bikini that'll just blow your socks off."

"What kind?"

"You'll have to wait and see, sweetie." She then sees a dive shop up ahead. Along with a black sports car. Sporting a wicked-looking spoiler on it's back end. "Looks like someone's had the same idea, Luke."

"Yeah. Judging from that car, it must be a real fancy pants type that's driving it. A spoiler that rare is bound to be expensive." Blinking at the name of the shop, he suddenly grins. "That's old man Fujimo's shop. He doesn't check for certification as long as you've had some kind of experience. Of course, I haven't been back here for years, so some things might have changed."

When the car comes to a stop, Elizabeth replies, "Only one way to find out, honey. Go inside and talk to the owner." Luke nods at that and the newlyweds exit the car and go inside. Once they get inside, they see a surprising sight.

Sousuke helping Kaname, clad in her skimpy white bikini, into a basic scuba rig. Consisting only of blue straps on the shoulders and a black belt around the belly of the slender young beauty. With Kaname wearing her blue sarong around her waist and a seductive smile.

"Do you need me to tighten it, Kaname? It looks a little loose on your shoulders."

"Nah, I'm good, Sousuke. It may chafe a little, but it'll be perfect for what I have in mind while we dive."

"Roger." Sneaking a kiss on his wife's lips, he grins when she giggles.

"Sousuke? Kaname? What are you guys doing here?" Both teens turn at Luke's question and smile.

"Our third reunion of the day, Sousuke. How's it going, Luke?"

"It's going okay, Kaname. But, what are you guys doing here?"

"Honeymoon, Luke. I gather you're doing the same."

"You gather right, Sousuke. Sorry we couldn't invite you, but you had to graduate from high school still." Blinking, he then asks, "You wouldn't happen to be with that black car out there, would you? You seem to be the only people in here. Unless you walked here."

"Actually, we are, Luke." Kaname strokes Sousuke's arm lovingly as she goes on. "We just found out it was actually for us."

"Well, so much for my hunch of it being a fancy-pants-type driving it." Looking around, Luke asks, "Do you know who's running the shop?"

"I am, sonny. I'm Yuji Fujimo." Luke and Elizabeth turn around and see an eighty-year old man, in good condition and with a wry grin. "How does that harness feel, Mrs Sagara?"

"It's not very comfortable, but at least it helps my posture." Fujimo gives Kaname a nod as he appraises the rig. "How much air can the tank hold, Mr Fujimo?"

"You got at least a couple hours worth of air in the tank. Long enough for light exploration. I gotta admit, your husband did a good job on your rig. It's like he's an expert of some kind."

"Thank you. He is good at what he does. As for the other thing." Her smile going seductively demure, she adds, "Hmm, I love the sound of that word. 'Exploration'. It sounds delightfully naughty." Kaname giggles as she blushes while Sousuke blushes as well. "Do we walk in from the beach or use a boat, Mr Fujimo?"

"You could do it either way, Mrs Sagara. If you walk in from the beach, just be sure to put your fins on after getting into the water. The water will allow you to slip your fins on easily." At Kaname's nod, Fujimo looks at Sousuke and asks, "Ready for your rig, Mr Sagara?"

"Affirmative, sir."

"Have you decided what kind of rig to get?"

"Well, I had thought about one with a BCU, but then decided against it. I'll just go with a standard strap like Kaname's."

"Coming right up, Mr Sagara." That causes Luke to shake his head in amusement.

"You haven't changed much, Sousuke. You're the same basic guy as always." This peaks Fujimo's interest as he looks over toward Luke.

"You know him, sonny?"

"I should know him. He's my cousin."

"One Sagara couple and another Sagara comes in here. What are the odds? Wait a minute. If he's Sousuke, then..." His voice trails off before he smiles. "Luke Sagara, is that really you?" At Luke's nod, Fujimo grins as he says, "It's good to see you again, my boy. How're your folks doing?"

"They died, some time ago. Back before I even graduated from high school."

"What happened? They were nice folks."

"Car wreck. A damn drunk driver smashed into them on a Michigan highway. While the drunk was going in the wrong direction, no less." Hearing Kaname's shocked gasp, Luke nods and adds, "We outta take all the drunk drivers and have them shot."

"I hear that, Luke. That's why I don't drink. Drinking makes you stupid. Stupid gets you killed. It even gets others killed or hurt." With that, Fujimo heads into the back of his shop to get another strap rig.

"Oh, Sousuke, that reminds me. When we get done, we need to tell Jane we saw Felix walking at our graduation."

"Roger, Kaname. I bet she misses him, very much."

"Yeah, just like I miss our baby, Sousuke." Stifling a sob, she adds, "But at least he's safe with Kyoko and your foster family."

"Safe? Foster family? What are you talking about, Kaname?" Elizabeth is curious, as her cop instincts flare to life. "Is something wrong?"

"Affirmative. Some joker wanted to inject Sousuke Jr with an unknown compound. Kyoko wouldn't let him, saying she needed to talk to us first. When we get back home from our honeymoon, we intend to talk to the guy and find out more." Mentally, he adds, 'And when we get done, we pull out his tongue. With a tow truck.'

"That's a good idea right there, sonny. Research it first." Fujimo comes up behind Sousuke with the same kind of rig as Kaname's and helps the scarred teen put it on. As he helps, he can't help but wince at all the scars Sousuke has. "Jeez, I haven't seen this much scarring on one person since I was in WW2. What in the world happened to you, sonny?"

"I guess you might say I've been to Hell and back. Just to punch Satan in the mouth. Several times, before blowing him up. It's not a problem for me."

Giving Kaname a soft wink, he watches as she explodes into giggles. In turn, she can't help remembering what she had told the two Mothers in Jindai High their first day back in school about Sousuke. Only he had just said it with a little more style.

Chuckling, Fujimo replies, "Sounds interesting. Now, keep in mind that you'll have difficulty surfacing without a BCU. But, you look like you can handle it."

"Affirmative, sir. I'll let you handle my cousin and his bride." At their shocked gasps, Sousuke grins and adds, "Commander Murphy told us you guys had eloped. By the way, congratulations to you both."

Blushing, Elizabeth replies, "Thank you. When did you see him?"

Kaname smirks as she replies, "Graduation day. He was with Sheila and her family. She's a great conversationalist. She even talked to my Dad." Much to Kaname's shock, Elizabeth groans. "What is it?"

"Sheila talks too damn much."

"Yeah, I kinda got that she's a yakker. Oh, by the way, you guys ever get that door fixed?"

"Nah. The Commander just took it down and put it on the wall as a piece of art. 'Idiot dipshit diplomat in a big ass hurry to leave'. In a way, it fits. According to Sheila, that dipshit diplomat she had pulled over before couldn't take the time to do something so simple as opening the damned door."

"Oh yeah. That's right. That was a funny story. The name sure fits."

The two wives giggle at that while the men have a good chuckle of agreement of the name. When the giggling and chuckling dies down, Sousuke and Kaname select their masks and fins while Fujimo helps Luke and Elizabeth with their rigs.

Minutes later, Sousuke and Kaname are walking into the water together. When they get waist-deep, they lean on each other to put their fins on. Once done, they put their masks over their faces, regulators into their mouths and begin scuba diving side by side. For the time being, they elect to keep their suits on until they reach deeper water. However, it doesn't stop either teen from groping the other one's crotch with their hand.

Looking at Sousuke's right thigh, Kaname can't help but roll her eyes in amusement. For his thigh is bearing a holster, with his Glock within the holster. Remembering it's one of the only brands of lethal firearm that can be fired underwater, she rolls her eyes again and shakes her head, quashing the temptation to giggle.

Next thing Kaname knows, Sousuke slips his hand into her bikini bottom and starts rubbing her crotch. Feeling playful, Kaname places one hand over her crotch and pushes his hand deeper into her core. While sending the other hand down into his trunks, stroking his hardening member.

Getting the idea and enjoying the feeling of Kaname massaging his member, Sousuke puts his index and middle fingers into her opening, pumping in and out of her. With that, Kaname starts breathing heavily in ecstasy. Reveling in the feeling of Sousuke's fingers moving in and out of her, she waits until they reach the ocean floor.

She then stops and signals for Sousuke to stop as well while she undoes her bikini top. Once her top is off, she unties her bikini's bottom and removes it, allowing Sousuke to get himself ready as well. Given that Sousuke's wearing fins, all he can do is remove his holster and lower his black knee-length trunks down to his ankles, allowing Kaname first crack at him.

Upon feeling Kaname's lips around his member, he gets onto his knees while the young blue-haired beauty starts sucking on him. Suddenly, one minute later, the sucking stops and Kaname straddles him, putting his member into her folds.

Not content with sucking and having to hold her breath at the same time, Kaname decides to save the oral bit for above the waves. Mainly in their hotel room and in the shower. So, wrapping her lower region's lips around Sousuke's member, and her legs around his ass, she starts pumping him furiously.

Upon feeling him gently grip her breasts, she moans into her regulator and looks into her love's grey eyes, her brown eyes soft and warm with affection. For a minute, she only sees cold resolution within his eyes, but it quickly fades into warm affection for her. Next thing she knows, he gently lies her onto her tank and starts pumping into her like they were in a bed.

Unable to contain her ecstasy, she removes her regulator and blows Sousuke a kiss underwater. With him returning it while holding her hips as he pumps her. Putting the regulator back into her mouth, she purges it and takes a deep breath. Before her body-wracking orgasm starts.

Five minutes later, feeling Sousuke start to pull out, she lets him do so, so she can see his essence rushing out of his member. She's not disappointed. Spurts of his sperm come flying out into the water as he ejaculates. Following through on a temptation, she curls a spurt around her finger, rubbing it with her thumb. The feeling of it is not unpleasant in her opinion. He lets three more spurts escape as he milks himself dry.

Once he's milked himself dry, he checks his air monitor and shakes his head. Turning it to show Kaname, she quickly checks hers and realizes they had used more air than they figured they would.

Quickly getting their suits back on, along with his holster, they slowly surface, exchanging glances at each other, wishing they could have had more time. Looking around, they see a blue trunk-clad Luke and a pink tank-style bikini-clad Elizabeth taking pictures of each other and the other sea-life around them.

Upon reaching the surface, Sousuke and Kaname remove their dive masks and regulators as they exchange a passionate kiss. Upon coming out of the kiss, Kaname lovingly strokes Sousuke's scarred cheek.

"That was fun, Sousuke. I'd like to do it again, but with a bigger air supply."

"Roger. Tomorrow, perhaps?"

"Hmm, sounds good to me, Sousuke." Next thing the couple knows, Luke and Elizabeth surface, entwined into each other's arms. "How was it, guys?"

"Not too bad, Kaname. However, I could have sworn I heard a pair of manatees groaning while we were down there. A pair of manatees deep in the throes of passion, no less. I'm pretty sure Sousuke heard it cause Luke sure as Hell did." Blushing, Sousuke and Kaname are about to explain when they notice Elizabeth's sudden pallor. As does Luke.

"Liz? Liz? What is it, honey?"

"Out there, Luke. Coming in."

The others turn around and see a familiar fin come up from the surface. One synonymous with terror for beach-goers. Along with hearing panicked screams coming from the beach. A shark attack siren starts up, it's high decibel whine calling for them to head back in.

"It's how I lost my little sister Becky. She was swimming when her period suddenly struck. The shark smelled her blood and got her." Sobbing softly, she adds, "We were on vacation in Bermuda. I was fifteen and she was thirteen. We had decided to go snorkeling when Becky felt some cramping. But, she put it out of her mind. She was so eager to get some more snorkeling in before we left, she just didn't want to wait for a whole year to come back. She died in the waves, in my arms."

"Liz." Wrapping his sobbing wife into his arms, Luke turns to Sousuke and notices his right thigh. "I see you're strapped, cousin."

"Affirmative. Just leave it to me." With that, he puts his mask back down over his face, jams the snorkel tube into his mouth and submerges. Drawing and priming the Glock, he takes aim and waits for the shark to get within shooting range. Ready to guard the beach and his family. With extreme prejudice.

Having a sense of what Sousuke's going to do, Kaname does the same thing. Only she keeps her ears above water just by tilting her masked face into the water, intent on watching her husband teach the shark some 'manners'. Besides, she knows that Glocks can be very loud underwater.

As the shark approaches their position, Kaname thinks, 'It'll be a good night for shark steaks. Very fresh shark steaks at that. Yummy! Shark steaks on a griddle, here we come!'

As he watches the shark get closer, Sousuke aligns his sights with the predator, thinking, 'I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse, Jaws. Either back off and live or you become tonight's main course. While your skin becomes a shark-skin handbag for my wife. Either way's just fine with me. It won't be a problem.' The shark seems to reject the offer, as it's still heading right for them. 'Have it your way then, Jaws.'

Sousuke had seen the movie and while it was good in his opinion, he didn't much care for how it ended. If he had his way, he'd have used a torpedo on it. With a sub-atomic warhead in the tip.

As the shark gets closer to within Sousuke's firing range, Sousuke curls his finger near the trigger. Putting himself right at Def-con 2. Once the shark gets to within firing range, along with Sousuke's predetermined safety zone, Sousuke goes right into Def-con 1.

Opening fire, he begins sending a stream of full-metal jacketed, solid-pointed rounds at the beast. As he fires, he's glad for the rubber hearing protection plugs he had slipped into his ears upon seeing the fin earlier.

'Yay! Shark steak city, here we come!' Watching intently as the rounds strike the predator, Kaname can see blood coming out of the wounds as the shark thrashes about. 'That's right, fish-boy! Meet the new predator of the deep and your doom! My darling and dangerous husband! Mwahahahahaha!'

Within seconds, the shark is dead in the water. Coming back up to the surface, Sousuke greets the others and Kaname does the same. Only she plants a massive kiss on his lips.

"May not be the way of the fisherman, but at least we're okay, Sousuke."

"Affirmative. Shall we take this guy to shore and prep him for dinner?"

"Affirmative!" With their unified answer, they all laugh as they take positions along the shark's corpse and start pulling it to shore.

Five minutes later, they're on the shore, their prize with them and lying on the sand when the Okinawa Authorities show up. Along with the Press for the city. One of the Officers, a freelance photographer for the 'Okinawa Sun', recognizes the fin and grins.

"I see you got Old Fujikai here. He's been a real pain in the neck lately. Coming close to the beach, scaring the tourists away. What're you gonna do with him?"

"Dinner and a gift for my wife. In fact, it looks like there may be enough material here for a gift to Luke's wife, my new cousin-in-law. As a wedding present."

"Ah, very good idea, sir. There's a shop up the beach from here that does that kind of thing. Um, would you mind? It's for the papers and files." Bringing out a camera, the Officer grins as they all nod. "Okay, sir. If you will, I'd like you to bring out what you used to slay the beast and hold it right at the beast."

"Roger." Bringing the Glock back out, he aims it at the shark and asks, "Like this?"

"Whoa. You used that? Unreal!"

"Affirmative. I fired fifteen rounds. All hits."

"Your name, sir?"

"Sagara. Sousuke Sagara."

"Okay, Mr Sagara." Clicking the shutter, the Officer catches the group in the frame.

Sousuke aiming at the shark's head. Kaname, Liz and Luke having their feet on the shark's torso. With Kaname giving Sousuke a massive kiss on his scar. All clad in their diving gear still. Realizing it, they remove the gear and start heading back.

Minutes later, the shark is picked up and taken to a processing center, bearing the 'Sagara' name on it. In the background, Mr Fujimo is laughing his head off. He had seen the two couples bring the shark up onto shore and promptly called the Authorities. Along with members of the Press.

As he laughs, he thinks, 'And to think this would have been another boring day!' Next thing he knows, a warbling sound comes from the black Celica in front of his shop. 'Must be some new kind of phone for cars. Never heard of a ring tone like that.'

At the same time, Sousuke and Kaname are walking back to the dive shop with Luke and Elizabeth when they hear Roadwolf's communications system calling for them. When they get to the shop, they see Fujimo is standing by the car, trying to peek inward. Taking a quick smirk, Sousuke winks at Kaname and she returns the wink and smirk, knowing what he has in mind.

"Admiring the view, Mr Fujimo?" When Fujimo jumps slightly, he clasps his right hand to his chest.

"Jeez, you trying to give me a heart attack, sonny?"

"It was not my intent, sir. My apologies."

"Nah, don't worry about it. You seem to have a call coming in, Mr Sagara."

"Roger." With that, Sousuke and Kaname put down the gear, go to the car, open it's doors and get in, with Sousuke keying up the system. "Sagara." When he sees Tessa's face, he relaxes. "I hope you have good news for me, Tessa."

"_I do. Sousuke, when you get a chance, please inform Mr Tuttle it's done. Oh, by the way, did you know your friends are arriving in Okinawa now?"_

"What? I thought they'd be training right now. Particularly Mrs Stoppable."

"_How should I put this? Her first time at the controls was incredible. Even her trainer was surprised. Mr and Mrs Renton even tried it, as did Mrs Stoppable's cousin. They all had the same trainer. Luckily, the group left before Shinji and Kyoko arrived with Sousuke Jr."_

"I guess the family motto is true. 'Anything's possible for a Possible'. Even with the same last name of her husband."

"_I have no doubt, Sousuke. Of course, Miss Possible departed on a different plane to head to her Father's ranch in Texas and Ms Mach went with her. So, what took you so long to answer?"_

"Had to get dinner for the night, Tessa."

Tessa checks her watch and frowns, asking,_"Dinner? Don't be ridiculous, Sousuke. It's in the middle of the day. It's lunchtime right now."_

"That's true. But, if you were with us right now, would you pass up an opportunity for shark steaks as dinner?" At Tessa's wide eyes, he adds, "Very fresh shark steaks at that?"

In awe, she asks, _"How fresh, Sousuke?"_

"How do you feel about freshly-killed shark, Tessa?"

Biting her lip to reduce the chances of squealing, she replies,_"I'll be there tonight, Sousuke. It's been a while since I last had shark steaks. I haven't had any since leaving Japan."_

"Roger. We'll save a couple of them for you."

Her face beaming happily, she replies, _"Oh, thank you! Oh, subject change. It's about the 'standstill' project. Intelligence has the name of the lead scientist for the project. But, they weren't able to get an address for him. It's probably just as well. After all, if we can't find him, neither can the 'Emperor'. So he'll be safe at least."_

Nodding, Sousuke replies, "Yeah. Hey, maybe we can ask around on our end. Who knows? We may get lucky over here. What's his name?"

With a big smile, Tessa replies,_"Dr Yuji Fujimo. He was the lead scientist for the 'Time-Stop' Project. He also was responsible for those communiques Mithril had intercepted. Including the last one. But, he vanished without a trace about fifteen years ago. In short, you'd be looking for a needle in a haystack."_

Suddenly seeing Sousuke and Kaname's glance toward each other, Tessa asks, _"Sousuke, Kaname? What's going on?"_

Kaname looks at the monitor, smiles and asks, "How fast can you get here, Tessa? We might have a lead already."

"_How can that be, Kaname? I told you guys his name just now. It's not like you just met him or anything in the last few minutes."_

"Actually, we did, Madam Captain. You may want to get ready to say hi to the needle." Rolling down his window, Sousuke asks, "Excuse me, Dr Yuji Fujimo? I'd like to get your opinion on something you worked on in the past."

"How? How'd you find me?"

Kaname grins and replies, "Your notes, Doctor. Tessa, meet Dr Yuji Fujimo. He's also the owner of the dive shop we're at right now."

Sheepishly and amusedly grinning, Tessa says, _"Hello, Dr Fujimo. Lieutenant Sagara, I want you to take the Doctor into Protective Custody immediately. He could very well be in danger. If you're going to interrogate him, do it gently."_

"No knives, chainsaws or blowtorches?" Inwardly, he hopes she's right. He finds himself liking the guy. Not letting her in on it, he puts on a dejected look, causing Kaname to snicker.

Relishing his seemingly-downcast look, Tessa replies, _"That's right, Lieutenant. No knives, chainsaws or blowtorches. Kaname, I expect you to watch over him. You know how he gets when he's angry."_

"All too well, Tessa. All too well." Opening her door and tilting her seat forward, Kaname says, "Get in, Doctor. We're taking you to another site."

"Okay. But, first, I have to get something. I'll be right back."

As Dr Fujimo goes into his dive shop, Luke follows him inside, ensuring he doesn't try running. Two minutes later, both men come back out and Dr Fujimo gets into the Celica. With Luke joining Elizabeth in their rental car. Little do both couples realize that they had been seen taking Fujimo with them. The form pulls out a phone and calls it in.

At the 'Emperor's estate, the 'Emperor' is looking over his documents for the day when his aide comes into his office.

"I bring news, my Emperor."

"Talk to me."

"Dr Fujimo's been found. However, he's currently in the company of the Sagara couples, my Emperor."

"Sagara couples?"

"Yes, my Emperor. The parents of the Sagara infant and the newest Sagara couple."

"Oh. This is good. Yes, yes. Perhaps I can use this to my advantage. I grab the wives and the husbands will have no choice but to capitulate to our demands."

"Injection of the infant, my Emperor?"

"But of course. What else?"

"You could always use the women as concubines and kill their husbands off, my Emperor."

"Nice thought, but I learned early on that it's not nice or wise to cross a Sagara. Especially if they can possibly kick my ass later on."

His eyes wide, the aide asks, "You know them already, my Emperor?"

"Quite well, yes. Have a seat and I will tell you all about it." As the 'Emperor' tells him, the man is enthralled by the story. As he wraps up, he says, "So basically, I got his parents to go to Afghanistan when they wouldn't let me experiment on him for the serum. Of course, I waited for him to reach traveling age."

"But the project guidelines wouldn't let you inject him, because he was born a couple of years after the first injections. Making him exempt from it, my Emperor."

"Precisely. Although I was more than willing to subvert it. That boy should have died in Afghanistan. Losing his parents, having no money or food. Being totally out in the desert should have killed him. But, he didn't die. He proved himself to be a survivor in every aspect. Someone must have taken him in."

"And when you found out that he had sired a son, you figured this would be a good chance for an injection to happen, my Emperor."

"Yes. Now you're getting the picture."

"But, how'd you know his parents had died, my Emperor?"

"I was there. I even pulled the trigger of the gun that killed them, relishing his devastated reaction. It was a glorious day for me."

_(Flashback)_

"_Hello, Fumiko. It's been a while. Have you started regretting your decision yet? If you have, now would be a good time to say your prayers." _

_The man stepped out into the open, AK-47 in his hands, with seven Soviet soldiers behind him. He then walked toward the hut the Sagaras were at, a menacing sneer on his face._

"_Hangi? What are you doing here?" Fumiko Sagara got in front of his wife and son, saying, "Leave them out of this, Hangi. It's between you and me."_

"_Not anymore, Fumiko. You could have allowed me to experiment on your son. But, no, you didn't. You took the more selfish route and chose to raise the boy like a normal child. Now that my Soviet friends and I are here and they gave me one of their weapons, it'll be quite easy for me to arrange things."_

"_Hangi, why? We made you Sousuke's Godfather, for crying out loud!" Keiko Sagara held their scared son to her bosom before putting him behind her, saying, "Don't look, baby. Don't look. You don't need to see what may happen." _

_Turning to Hangi, she angrily said, "You evil bastard. I hope you burn in Hell. Using innocent children for your twisted experiments in immortality. Even wanting to use Sousuke is crossing the line. I don't know why Mother wanted you as Sousuke's Godfather, but I now wish you had never been picked." _

"_Nope. If anyone's going to be burning, it'll be you and Fumiko, Keiko. As for the line, it's already been crossed. By you. As for why, it's because you belong with the upper crust. Not the middle or lower crust. Or rather, you belonged." _

_Suddenly, gunfire erupted from Hangi's borrowed weapon, causing Sousuke's parents to scream as the 7.62mm rounds perforated their bodies. Seconds later, they were dead on the ground. Blood seeping out of their bodies and their eyes wide open._

"_Mommy, Daddy!" Terribly shaken, Sousuke dropped to the ground and shook his parents' still forms, pleading for them to wake up. "Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!" Upon seeing their blood on his hands, he looked up at the man and spat out, "I hate you, Hangi Oshimura! I hope I never see you again! If we ever cross paths again, I'll kill you!" Next thing Sousuke knew, Hangi pointed his rifle at Sousuke's forehead and smiled evilly._

"_Somehow, I don't think that'll happen any time soon. You'll die out here, rotting alongside your parents. Just as they rot." Pulling back the charging handle after changing magazines, he heard the soldiers with him yelling. In Russian, he asked, "What's going on, Dimitri?"_

"_It's Afghani Resistance, Comrade Oshimura! They're coming this way. You must flee, comrade. Don't worry. No mention will be made of you. We'll convince boy into forgetting about you and his oath of blood against you. We'll take heat, provided there are survivors."_

"_How far out are they?"_

"_Good half hour. At least."_

"_Very well. Just be sure he dies out here. Remove the incentive to live and he'll surely die."_

"_Yes, Comrade Oshimura."_

Returning to present day, Hangi Oshimura, the self-proclaimed 'Emperor', says, "I had arranged his parents' names to be erased from the National registry, but there are still some files with their names. I knew I should have killed that boy when I had the chance. Lesson of the day. Never trust a Russian to do a job you can do yourself."

"Who knows, my Emperor? He may have forgotten about the blood oath. After all, he was only eight years old when he said it."

"Oh no. No, no, no, no. Not in that kid's case. When a Sagara makes an oath like that, that oath stays. No matter what or how old that Sagara was. Even with the passage of time." With that, his aide exits his office and he turns to his superior as he enters the office. "What'd you think of the story, Mr Silver?"

"It was quite entertaining, Mr Oshimura. I greatly underestimated your capacity for violence. Orphaning Sagara was a nice touch, especially using the Russians' weaponry on his parents. Amalgam had made an excellent decision in recruiting you ten weeks ago. However, given our friendship, you can use my given name."

"You got it, Leonard."

Two hours later, at the Queen Hotel Okinawa, Sousuke is sleeping fitfully, thrashing around on the bed. Upon arrival at the hotel, he found himself lightly exhausted from the day so far and elected to take a nap. While Luke and Elizabeth went to their own honeymoon suite. Watching him from the doorway, Kaname bites her lip worriedly.

'It's the first time he's had a nightmare that I know of.' What she hears next makes her feel for him.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

'Oh, Sousuke. You poor thing.' Leaving him be, she goes to the other room and picks up the phone. "Front Desk, this is Mrs Sagara in Room 415. I'd like to make a call please. Lake Bima. The residence of Mizuho Kazami. Yes and I'll be paying for it. Thank you." Seconds later, she hears Mizuho's voice.

"_This is Miss Kazami."_

"Mizuho, it's Kaname. How fast can you get to Okinawa?"

"_I can have Marie teleport me there immediately. Is something wrong?"_

"It's Sousuke. He's having a nightmare about his parents. I want to do for him what you did for Kei. Can it be done?"

"_I'll be there shortly."_ Ten minutes later, Mizuho teleports into the room, wearing her day clothes.

"Sorry I took so long, but the portable unit had to be packed. Where's the Lieutenant at?"

"He's in the bedroom. It's the first time he's had a nightmare that I know of."

"Sounds like something I read upon my return to Earth. Suppressed memories associated with childhood trauma. With something triggering their release. Did he see his parents die?"

"Yeah. He showed some emotion, but not a whole lot. It could be it's starting to come back to him. But, why now? And what triggered it?"

"I agree and we should find out. This is a Priority One."

"Okay. Let's do this." Once Mizuho's set up the equipment, she has Kaname lie down beside him.

"Remember, you can't make mental/physical contact during the event or even change it. In fact, only Sousuke'll be able to see you after it happens. If you can, get to him after it happens and tell him what he's going to become and do."

"Everything?" At Mizuho's resolute nod, Kaname replies, "Okay. Here goes."

Once Kaname has the visor over her eyes, she gives Mizuho a thumbs up. "Ready." Instantly, she's in Sousuke's mind and walks along his neural pathways. When she finds a door, she opens it. What she sees, she never expects, prompting her to smile softly.

"_These doors must be Sousuke's memories. Oh, I remember this one. Sousuke, with Kyoko, watching over me as Bonta-kun on my date with Senior Fuwa. What a great and sweet guy Sousuke turned out to be."_ Smiling softly, she closes it and walks on.

Soon, she gets to a door facing another door and, upon choosing, opens it. What she sees makes her gasp in horrified shock. A man, dressed in Arabic ceremonial robes, brings up a jeweled dagger, with a distinctly mid-Eastern curve to it. In front of him, is a frightened eight-year-old Sousuke, his head and body being held firmly in place by two burly men. With the men seemingly speaking soothingly to the frightened boy.

Chanting in Arabic, the man turns toward Sousuke and brings the dagger alongside his face. Not stopping the chant, he drags the blade across Sousuke's left cheek in a crossing pattern. Once the drag is done, his chant ends and he claps his hands twice. Immediately, a woman nearly Kaname's age walks toward Sousuke and takes his hand as the two men release him to her care. Immediately closing the door, Kaname shakes in unbridled rage.

"_Sexy scar or not, that had to have hurt Sousuke! When we get to Afghanistan, I want to find that guy and put him in a hurt locker! A very big one at that!"_

Going to the opposite door, Kaname opens it and the sight within makes her left eye twitch in irritation. Seventeen scantily-clad women fussing over an eight-year-old Sousuke, a fresh bandage on his left cheek. With blood coming out of the sides of it.

The sight of the bandage tugs at Kaname's maternal heartstrings, making her want to kiss his fresh facial wound and make it all better. Even though it wouldn't even really do any good. Besides, she really digs the resulting scar he'll have. For it means he will be a bad-ass. Not to be messed with at all. The thought is enough to make her smirk softly. What she sees next stuns her even more.

One of them, a young eighteen-year-old woman, without so much as a blush, up and removes her top. With a shy giggle, she then shoves her uncovered breasts into his face, prompting him to blush. The young woman even goes so far as to place a nipple into his mouth, babying him as she strokes his head. As she strokes his head, she coos at him and giggles as she speaks to him in Arabic. Calling him 'Kashim' and wearing a warm maternal smile on her face.

_'You shameless, maternal-instinct having floozies! He's only a little boy that just lost his parents, for crying out loud! Even more, he's too old to be breast fed! And his name is Sousuke! Not "Kashim"! Bakas!' _Starting to shake her head, she suddenly comes to a startling realization upon remembering what the Afghani rebels had called him.

_'They had no way of knowing his name when they found him! So, they named him "Kashim". No wonder that name rang a bell in my head. I bet they told the leader to call him "Kashim" and he agreed with it! Could they be acting as surrogate Mothers of sorts to him? I think so.'_

Shaking her head, she muses,_ 'No wonder he was like that at first. Being so distant. He didn't want to be seen as a pervert! And that bandage on his cheek. This memory must have been just after his cheek was cut by the leader of the rebels.'_

Leaving the room and closing the door, she gets to her destination and opens the door. What she sees horrifies her. A Japanese man, wielding an AK-47, shooting Sousuke's parents to death. Right in front of Sousuke. Unable to resist, she yells out.

"_You baka bastard! Why are you doing it? He's one of ours! His parents are of our nationality, for crying out loud! He's just a baby! He doesn't need to see that!"_ But she's too late and still unheard. Both parents are dead on the ground and Sousuke started shaking them before yelling at the man.

Remembering what Mizuho had said, she sighs and helplessly watches as the man points the rifle at Sousuke and smile evilly. Only to stop when one of the Soviet soldiers speaks to him. Smiling when she sees the guy leave, she sees the Soviet soldier that spoke to the man lean down to Sousuke. Curious, she gets closer. Unable to stop a smile, she listens, highly-impressed, as the soldier speaks Japanese.

"_Listen, little comrade. That man was never here and you never swore blood oath on him. You'll say we did it and some of us tried stopping those that shot."_

With tears of sadness and rage falling, Sousuke retorts, _"No! He killed my parents! He needs to pay for what he did! He needs to be dead or imprisoned!"_

"_In time, he will, little comrade. Be it by your hands or someone else's. But, for now, there are rebels coming. I'm sure they'll take care of you. My comrades and I must go."_

"_Why didn't you stop him? Why are you sparing me? For that matter, who are you?"_

"_I'm Comrade Sergeant Dimitri Ilyasovich, Red Army. I was under orders not to intervene. As for sparing you, I can tell you'll bring Justice to world, should you survive. You have eyes of cold steel. Use eyes as you kill enemies you come across."_

"_I'm only killing that one jerk!"_ The next voice Sousuke hears is feminine and soft.

"_Oh, that's not quite right, Sousuke."_

Turning around, he can see a highly-attractive young Japanese woman with long blue hair, wearing a red t-shirt and blue shorts, walking toward him. Turning back to the soldiers to see if they can see the woman, he sees they've vanished.

"_Surprised they're gone? Can't say as I blame you, Sousuke."_ Turning around and looking up to see her stand beside him, he sees her smile softly. _"I've always wondered what you looked like as a kid, Sousuke. I gotta admit, I'm not disappointed. At all."_

"_How do you know my name?"_ Suddenly, she bends her knees to look him in the eyes, with hers being chocolate brown and soft. _"Do I know you from somewhere?"_

"_In time, you'll find out, Sousuke. But, I guess I can tell you what you'll be doing. You'll become a mercenary, a warrior for Justice, just like that soldier said. In time, you'll become a protector. Mine, in particular."_ Startled to see tears falling from his grey eyes, her voice breaks as she says, _"It's okay to cry, Sousuke."_

"_How can I protect you? I can't even save my parents!"_ As Sousuke cries, she nestles the freshly-orphaned little boy into her arms, glad she could be here for him in mind. With her own tears starting to flow as well, she looks him right in the eye.

"_You won't be able to right away, but you'll do so. With the training you'll receive. However, you'll also become civilization's worst nightmare when you return to Japan. To quote a character on a movie, 'You're going to be a bad MF'. That sure fits you perfectly." _

"_MF? What's that?"_

"_Oh, I'm sure you'll find that out when you get older, sweetie." _

"_Why can't you tell me what it means?"_

"_It's a swear word. I dislike swearing in front of children, especially those that just lost their parents. So, I censored myself."_

"_How am I going to be a bad MF, as you put it?"_ As the woman whispers into his ear, his eyes go wide. Looking at her, he asks, _"I really do all of that?"_

"_Oh yeah. And then some."_ Brushing his left cheek, she smiles at it being intact still._ "Even more, you'll have something very distinguishing on your face. One that'll make you stand out even more and I'll even find it to be very sexy."_

His face blushing at her suddenly seductive smile, he asks,_ "What's that?"_

"_A scar, in the shape of an 'X'. It'll mean that you're not one to be messed with at all. When it happens, show no fear and don't take any offense when they call you 'Kashim'. It's something they'll call you when they take you in. However, feel free to be peeved at a psycho you'll come across. A psycho named Gauron. Even more, you'll meet your surrogate Father over here in Afghanistan. A Spetsnaz soldier named Kalinin."_

"_How do you so much about what happens to me? I don't understand."_

"_It's very unlikely you'll remember this, but I'll tell you. I'm Kaname." _With a rosy yet proud blush, she adds, _"Your future wife."_

"_You mean I live long enough to get married?"_ At her smile and nod, he says, _"Wow. I hope I do a good job of being a protector and husband."_

"_Oh, I have a very good feeling that you will. After all, the future ahead of us isn't written. But you make it that far at least."_

"_Will it be love at first sight?"_

"_No, it won't. Well, for you at least. While I start having a bit of a crush on you when I first see you. While you'll be so confused, it won't even be funny. At first, you'll only concentrate on your duty, as emotions tend to get in the way of a soldier's duty. Over time, though, you'll realize your feelings for me. Just like I realize them for you."_

"_Will we have children?"_

"_Oh yeah. Our firstborn is a little boy. He'll be a spitting image of you. We'll even name him after you. Hopefully, he won't be as destructive as you will be. As for any others, well, that has yet to be determined." _

"_How will I find you?"_

"_You'll see, Sousuke Sagara, call sign Urzu 7."_

Curious, he asks, _"What's an Urzu?"_

"_You'll have to ask about that when the time comes. I'm not completely in the loop as you will be. But I think you'll mug through just fine."_

"_Will I ever see that guy again?"_

Knowing he's referring to the evil man that had just killed his parents, Kaname replies,_ "I'm sure we will. We'll wage a war on him like he wouldn't believe."_

"_We?"_

"_Oh yeah. You, me and Roadwolf."_

"_Roadwolf?"_

"_You'll see in time, sweetie."_ Pecking his left cheek softly, she wraps him back into her arms and says, _"For now, Sousuke, cry on my shoulder, baby. Mourn your parents and then go with the rebels."_

As the boy's tears overcome him, he sobs. As he sobs, she softly strokes his head as she rocks him, cooing at him the same time. "_That's right, Sousuke. Let it out, precious. Unblock your memory, so you can carry out your mission. Your mission of vengeance. The time is now at hand, my love."_

"_Roger."_ Her eyes wide, Kaname tilts back and sees the form of her younger beloved's tears stream down, a smile on his face. _"Hi, Kana-kun."_

"_Oh, Sous-kun."_ Giving him a quick kiss on his lips, she grins and says, _"We've got work to do, soldier."_ With that, she exits his mind, eager for his nightmare to end. Back in the real world, Mizuho is watching over Sousuke and Kaname when she hears his voice.

"Mommy, Daddy. Wake up. Please, wake up." As Kaname wakes at her husband's side, Sousuke yells out, "I hate you, Hangi Oshimura! I hope I never see you again! If we ever cross paths again, I'll kill you!" Startled to hear the proclamation, Mizuho steps back, only to step forward upon seeing Kaname getting up from the bed.

'Oshimura? If that's who I think it is, is that the last name for the "Emperor" as he titled himself?' Suddenly, Kaname's startled to hear him sobbing.

"Mommy, Daddy." Sobbing in his sleep, Sousuke's unaware of being wrapped into his wife's arms and her cooing softly into his ear.

"Shh, it's okay, honey. It's okay, my warrior. Let it out."

"Mommy." His eyes snapping open, with tears falling, he sees Kaname looking at him, tears streaming down her face as well. "They weren't killed by Soviets, Kaname. With your help, I just remembered. He betrayed me and my parents. My Godfather."

"Hangi Oshimura? He's your Godfather?" His reply is heated more than ever before. Much more heatedly.

"Affirmative. That other name I told you about?" At her nod, he goes on. "He was one of the backers."

"Oh no. How awful, Sousuke."

"Affirmative." Getting up from the bed, he asks, "Has the Captain arrived yet?"

"Yeah. She got here an hour ago." Mizuho gets sight of the scar on Sousuke's upper left bicep and finds herself curious.

"That scar on your left arm. How'd it happen, Lt?"

"A traitor happened, Mrs Kusanagi."

Blinking, she asks, "A traitor? As in a Mithril traitor?"

"Affirmative. He was trying to kill Kaname in the Galley on the sub."

"Why?"

"Because I'd stumbled onto a murder scene. And Gauron was right there."

"Oh my. Who died?"

"Lt Gail McAllen. He was Urzu 1 on the SRT when he died. We also lost another good man that was on the SRT. He was guarding Gauron when the traitor killed him." Coldly, he adds, "Matter of fact, there were two traitors."

"What happened to the one that got your arm?"

"The side of his face got kicked in, before Sousuke shot him in the gut at point blank range with the guy's gun."

"And the other one?" The question has Kaname tapping her chin in thought before she snaps her fingers.

"According to Melissa, she and Kurz kinda worked together on the other one. Mainly because Kurz was jumping around like a chimp. Melissa used two knives. One in the guy's neck and the other in his chest. Kurz then slammed a fire extinguisher onto the guy's skull, sending him down the staircase and the back of his head met with the turn-wheel of the door. With a wonderfully sickening crunch."

Cringing in disgust, Mizuho says, "I don't know whether to be grossed out or flinch in pain. But, why would they betray Mithril? Didn't they like being good guys?"

"Apparently not." Sighing, Sousuke goes on. "Mrs Kusanagi, please keep in mind that Mithril is an organization of mercenaries. One of the rules of the profession is that you're supposed to be working for the one that pays the most money. However, I have scruples. I don't do this for the money. I do it to keep others from going through the Hell that I had to endure. And believe me when I tell you I endured a lot of Hell. Even more, I will not kill innocent people if it can be avoided." Turning to Kaname, he asks, "Where's the Captain at?"

"Right now, talking with Dr Fujimo."

Blinking, Mizuho asks, "Dr Fujimo? Who's that?"

"Yeah. The one that was in charge of the project responsible for Kei's condition." Next thing the couple knows, Mizuho is stalking out the door, stomping along the way. Intent on getting to the Doctor. "Oh boy. Sousuke, we better calm her down so she doesn't kill him."

"Roger. But something tells me it'll be easier said than done."

"You've got a good point there, Sousuke. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman pissed about her husband being an involuntary lab rat'. And Mizuho is certainly pissed."

"Affirmative." As they exit the room, there's a knock at the main door of the suite. When Sousuke opens the door, they both grin upon seeing who it is. "The Captain said you're here. If you're going to surprise us, don't broadcast your plans."

"Aw man. That tanks!" Seconds later, they hear a woman yelling in fury and a man screaming in fear. "Uh oh. Sounds like you guys have got some big problems."

Giggling as she scowls, Kaname replies, "To say the least."

Two minutes earlier, in another part of the suite, Tessa asks, "How can you, a well-noted and respected scientist, have been willingly involved in this travesty? Using innocent children, no less." Sitting across from the petite Captain, Dr Fujimo sighs and tilts forward, rubbing his face with his hands.

"I ask myself that all the time, Captain Testarossa. To be honest, I have no good answer or excuse. But I had high hopes that no one would get hurt."

"But people did get hurt, didn't they?"

"Yes. One dead child is simply one too many. Five is trouble altogether."

"Trouble indeed. How did it work?"

"It was intended to rearrange the genetic structure, slowing the aging process. It did very well on the animal trials. It did so well, the decision was made to initiate human trials. But, some groups denounced the research, saying that mankind is not ready for such flights of fancy." Scowling, he adds, "They might have been right, after all."

"So you went behind their backs, with this 'Emperor' guy's decree and permission."

"Correct. As a result, those injected went into periods of dormancy whenever highly-stressed or depressed, where their bodies wouldn't even age on the outside. Their minds, however, did age. It would usually take a while for the mind to be brought up to date on current events. Once done, the mind would resume regular operations. Until the next period came along, if at all."

"Thus the 'standstill' condition came to be." At his nod, Tessa then says, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't allow Lieutenant Sagara to bring a chainsaw in here, Doctor. Sergeant Major Mao brought the beer, so it's only fitting that Lieutenant Sagara be allowed to bring the chainsaw." _  
_

"Because I've been working on a way to counter-act the damage done. I think I've finally got it done."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. There's no cut-off, so it can be used for any age. In theory, at least."

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow, Doctor."

"Well, in the first trials for humans, infants were ideal for the injections, with the claim it was for boosting vitamins, immune system, any reason to get it done. The counter-serum is intended to reverse what had happened, resuming the body's natural aging process. However, the person receiving the injection will be in for growing pains. Literally. They'd also lose their orientation for twenty-four hours after it works through their bodies. Tops."

"Meaning they'd have to be in a bed during the injection and afterward." At his nod, Tessa asks, "Are you sure you couldn't you have found a less painful way, Doctor?"

"I'm afraid it's the only way, Captain. Once the serum is introduced, the skeletal structure will start growing into the body's true age, the muscles stretching along with the skin to compensate. As the saying goes, 'Growth is a painful process'. Especially in terms of genetic engineering." Next thing they know, the door flies open, revealing a peeved, yet highly-attractive, pink-haired woman snarling in fury.

Heatedly, she holds up a fist and demands, "Which one of you is Dr Fujimo?" At the man's raised shaking hand, she stomps toward him and picks him up by the lapels on his shirt. "How dare you sabotage Kei and Miss Morino's genes!"

Shaking him in fury, she starts shedding tears as she goes on. "Do you know how scared I was when he went into that 'standstill'? And the ones before that one? Let alone the ones from before I even met him? He even left me for Miss Morino's sake!"

"Oh, you must be Mrs Kusanagi." At the woman's nod, Tessa smiles and says, "I'm Captain Teletha Testarossa, Lieutenant Sagara's superior officer." Upon Mizuho turning around, Tessa can see Mizuho's violet eyes are glowing in a furiously manic light. 'Uh oh! Someone's in deep shit today! And that someone is Dr Fujimo! Not good!'

"Hello, Captain. It's very nice to finally meet you. However, I have other matters to contend with!" Fujimo's shirt lapels still in hand, Mizuho carries the scared man over to the room's window and opens it. "Normally, I'm fairly level-headed. But, make me angry and you'll wish I was rational!"

"I already do, Mrs Kusanagi!" Fujimo's eyes go wide as she holds him at the window sill. "Please, I've still got amends to make with my work!"

"Oh no, you don't! That's not the most important thing in your life right now! But, what is important is gravity!"

"What do you want of me?"

"I want to know why you sabotaged Kei and all the other children! Oh, before I forget, this is my weak arm! So start talking or I'll drop you!"

"It's what we were discussing when you came in, Mrs Kusanagi." Mizuho turns around and sees a frowning Tessa. "He's been trying to find a way to undo the damage done. He thinks he may have it, but tests are required. Such tests require live subjects with the condition it's supposed to treat. As you can see, we have a quandary. To date, there are only two that have the condition that we know of. If anything goes wrong, the other would not want to take part in it."

"Kei and Miss Morino." At Tessa's nod, Mizuho brings the Doctor in from the window, drops him onto the floor and collapses into body-wracking sobs and tears. "Isn't there another way?"

Fujimo shakes his head, replying, "I'm afraid not, Mrs Kusanagi. I do have some good news, though. The condition is not supposed to be hereditary. So it can't be passed onto offspring. However, it's all speculation."

"Well, I guess we'll find out in about nine months. Because I'm having Kei's baby. I just found out." Smiling at Tessa's congratulations, Mizuho places her hand on her belly, adding, "I'm starting to have cravings already. Pocky and ice cream. With hot sauce and chocolate syrup."

"Oh, perfect. Thinking of, where's the proud Father at?" Looking around, he asks, "How'd you get here for that matter?" Suddenly, he goes unconscious and falls to the floor, a familiar form in the doorway behind him. Familiar, at least, to Tessa.

"Kinda cut it close there, didn't I?" Holstering the Glock 17C to his waist and concealing it with his red hockey jersey, Ron Stoppable grins as he walks toward the petite Captain and wraps her in a greeting hug. "Good to see you again, Tessa."

Luxuriating in the hug as she returns it with a soft smile, Tessa replies, "Mmm, right back at you, Ron." Separating to look toward the prone form, she adds, "Not really on the cutting it close thing, though. Your timing was, as usual, quite impeccable. Mizuho Kusanagi, meet Ron Stoppable. He, his wife and their colleagues are part of our 'external' SRT unit. Part time, anyway. Ron, meet Mizuho Kusanagi."

"How's it going, MK?" Mizuho blinks at the blond-haired man before smiling and chuckling, realizing he'd greeted her by her initials. "I heard the ruckus, so I thought I'd pop in and see what the sitch was. Bonnie and the others came in with me."

"I see. And Kim?"

"She's with Sousuke and Kaname, Tessa."

Curious, Mizuho asks, "Is the entire group here in Okinawa? As in, right here in the hotel?"

"Oh yeah. Plus some other friends. Care to meet them?"

"Sure." Following Ron out the door, Mizuho pauses enough to shake her head piteously and with scorn at the prone form of the scientist before her eyes go wide in horror. For she never even heard the shot that felled the man. "Is he dead?"

Ron grins and replies, "Nope. But he's going to have a hell of a splitting headache when he wakes up, making him wish he was. It's going to be so bad, it'll feel like someone's using a jackhammer on his skull."

"Ouch." Wincing and giggling lightly at the imagery, Mizuho asks, "Will he remember what happened?"

"Nah. It only blanks out five hours of memory. Which means he won't remember being interrogated and talking with Captain Testarossa. Not even you threatening to drop him out the window."

"Impressive, Mr Stoppable." Next thing she knows, she sees a group of people standing with Sousuke and Kaname, surrounding a pair of people.

"What's going on, Bon-Bon?" Much to Mizuho's surprise, a tanned female brunette turns around and smiles fiercely.

"Jessica just kissed Stuart on the lips, Ron." Blinking upon seeing Mizuho, she smiles softly. "Hi, I'm Bonnie Rockwaller. What brings you here?"

"I was helping Mr Sagara's wife with a problem, Ms Rockwaller."

"Coolness. K, we've got company." A redheaded young woman turns around and grins at Ron before seeing Mizuho. "She just walked in with Ron and Tessa."

A young woman with fiery red hair turns and smiles. "I see. I guess introductions are in order. I'm Kim Possible-Stoppable. I trust you know my husband already."

"I do. But, why does he call you KP? He greeted me with my initials."

"He's always called me that. It's his nickname for me. Now, you've got a nickname from him."

"Oh. Thank you. I'll always treasure it." Blinking as she sees the others, she says, "You've got a lot of friends here."

A young Japanese man replies, "Hai. I'm Hirotaka Yamanatoka-Rockwaller."

An Amerasian young woman with shoulder-length curly black hair says, "Jessica Mach." Right beside Jessica, a man with brown hair in a flat-top grins.

"Lt Stuart Argyle. I serve on the Captain's sub crew as 'air boss' and combat intel officer." Nodding when he sees Tessa, he adds, "Hello, Madam Captain." He then blushes when Tessa returns the greeting with a soft smirk.

A young man with brown hair smiles and says, "Felix Renton."

A young woman with curly blond hair and a bubbly smile says, "Tara Renton."

A man with greying-brown curly hair replies, "Norman Tuttle."

A woman with vibrant brown hair says, "Jane Tuttle."

A man with greying black hair and significant girth says, "Leo Altobelli, LAPD Commissioner retired."

Mizuho smiles at the gathered faces and says, "I'm Mizuho Kusanagi. It's nice to meet you all. I can't get over the man being shot in the room, though."

"Ron did it, didn't he?"

"Yes, Mrs Renton, he did. The man he shot with a blanker round was getting to be extremely eager to research Mrs Kusanagi's baby." Tessa smiles and says, "By the way, congratulations to you on your recovery, Mr Renton. Lieutenant Clouseau said that you handled yourself rather well in the M9. Although it did take you a while to do so in the simulator."

"Thanks, Tessa. Oh, could you pass my thanks on to the Lieutenant as well?"

"Sure. As Lieutenant Sagara would say, 'It's not a problem'."

"Recovery? Did something happen to you, Mr Renton?"

"I was in a wheelchair until about three months ago, Mrs Kusanagi. I had surgery done on me and now I can walk."

"Do you have any scars?"

"Yes, I do." Turning around, Felix lifts up his shirt and hears Mizuho gasp in shock. "Gruesome, isn't it?"

"No one could walk with the kind of damage you had to have suffered. The surgery must have been fascinating."

"It was. Painful as well, but it's well worth it."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're fully mobile now, Mr Renton. Especially without the limp. It's nice to see you all again. Mrs Kusanagi, you may want to go ahead and head on out of here. There'll be too many questions for you to answer."

"Thank you, Miss Testarossa. Lieutenant Sagara, will you be alright now?"

"Affirmative. You?" Handing her portable unit back to her, he adds, "Thank you."

"Yeah. I'll be alright. And you're welcome." Grinning semi-wickedly, she adds, "I just wish I could be here to see the Doctor wake up with his headache. It'd be very good payback to see him in torment."

"No reason why you can't."

"Actually, there is, Ms Mach. Kei and I are going to see his parents so I could meet them. Marie, physical transport. This is a Priority One."

"Oh. Okay." Blinking, Jessica then asks, "Who's Marie and what do you mean by physical transport?" To her surprise, Mizuho smiles as she vanishes in a white-blueish light.

Once she's out of sight, Jessica shakes her head, saying, "Okay, I'm now giving up trying to figure out this weird and fucked up world. I've seen a car that talks, a truck that talks, a bigger than average submarine. But never anything like that. So, I'm giving up on figuring it out."

"The situation's complicated, Miss Mach. But, there is an investigation that Mithril's performing."

"Investigation, huh? You up for it, KP? It'll be just like old times." The others nod their agreement and desire to do so. While Norman, Jane and Altobelli merely watch Kim as she ponders.

"Oh, gee. Let me think. Vacationing with my husband and friends now that we're decommissioned or assisting in an investigation with our Mithril allies? Oh, tough call. They both sound like a good way to spend some time. I vote investigation."

"I second that, K." Bonnie smiles her barracuda smile and adds, "Besides, it's been a while since I had some fun in the field."

"Oh, no. I can't possibly impose on you like that." Much to Tessa's surprise, she's being assaulted by the most fearsome weapon known to mankind. The group of friends, along with Norman, Jane, Altobelli. Even Stuart is using it. 'Oh, all those faces. So sad and dejected-looking.'

Looking over at Sousuke and Kaname, she sees they're silently snickering. 'It's got to be the PDP! No other face can look so dejected and adorable at the same time.' Giving in, she says, "Oh, okay. It'd be nice to have some extra hands around to help with the load."

"Boo-yah! The PDP strikes again! Great work, guys." At Tessa's dropped jaw, Ron sheepishly grins and says, "It was getting to be kinda boring, being on vacation. I mean, Kim and I have gone diving together many times when we were Team Possible on a mission at times calling for it. The ladies practically bought out Okinawa while shopping earlier today. So, we're very bored right now. We're so bored, you so don't want to know what we would have done to make things interesting." 

"You're right, I don't. So, Lieutenant, what about those shark steaks?"

"They're in the kitchen right now, Tessa. The prep center delivered them when Sousuke decided to take a nap. We also found something out."

"Oh? What's that, Kaname?" As Kaname tells Tessa, her mood gets darker by the second. "I say it's time to finish this."

"Madam Captain?"

"It's high time we tell Mr Oshimura his days are numbered, Lieutenant. Matter of fact, Intelligence has finished sifting through the data. Look at the names at the head positions on this list." Handing Sousuke the paper, she says, "Given the personal nature of this, if you want to do it solo, Lieutenant, I wouldn't blame you one bit. Same with you, Kaname."

Next thing they know, the phone rings. Sousuke goes over to the phone and picks it up. "Sagara speaking."

"_This is Hangi Oshimura. Is that you, Sousuke? I'm stunned you're still alive, my boy. Especially since those Russians killed your parents. I thought you'd have died out there in the desert."_ The man's voice has Sousuke growling in fury.

"Come off it, you flatulent butthead. I now know you're the one that killed my parents. You even had the gall to go after our little boy, you bastard."

"_I see. The memory is still strong with you. Well, how about a trade, then? You let me inject your son with the latest serum, give me Dr Fujimo and I'll give you 10,380,500,000 yen. Refuse, you and your wife meet the same fate as your parents did when your Father refused. What do you say?"_ The offer in itself has Sousuke seeing red. Blood red.

"Bite me, no deal and no sleep to Brooklyn. All in that order, you shithead. I'm coming after you and you'll face final justice at my hands. You made a mistake killing my parents. You made a bigger mistake by not finishing me off. Now you have just made the biggest fucking mistake of all by coming after our little boy. Your end is near, scum-sucker."

"_I don't see how that'll be possible, Sousuke. While I'm impressed you had survived out there in the desert, I highly doubt that you learned anything of real value. You're a weak and pathetic little man. Just like Fumiko was. Just like Keiko had no taste in men, your wife had extremely-poor taste in choosing you as her life partner."_

"Oh really? Well, I think I'll tell Kaname about what you had just said about her being with me and let her decide for herself." Upon telling Kaname, he finds it very hard to keep the phone away from her. "My wife wants to say something to you." Next thing he knows, she grabs it out of his hand and launches her tirade.

"You listen up, you baka asshole! I don't care what you say, but I love Sousuke and our little boy! If anyone has no taste at all, it's you! Along with being weak and pathetic! Prepare to be judged, you shithead!"

Hanging up the phone, she looks over at Sousuke and asks, "Why in the world was he named your Godfather, Sousuke? He's a real asshole."

"No idea, Kaname. But, if I had to guess, I'd say it was something to do with my Mom. After all, my grandmother wasn't happy with my Mother picking my Father."

At his estate, Oshimura is rubbing his ear, trying to get rid of the pain of Kaname's yells into his eardrum. 'What was he talking about by no sleep to Brooklyn? Even more, why'd she say for me to prepare to be judged? It's not like I did anything to her.'

Looking over, he sees his superior and friend is still inside his office. "I want to know everything about that young woman my Godson has married, Leonard."

"Yes, Hangi. I already have the information." Leonard Testarossa smiles as he brings up a data stick and hands it to Oshimura. "I've compiled all of the information. Including Kaname's mistake in choosing that mercenary instead of me."

"Sousuke's a mercenary?" At Leonard's nod, he asks the silver-haired youth, "What's your overall opinion of him?"

"Crude yet effective. He's not the kind to let his charge down at all. He'll do everything in his power to keep her safe. Amalgam has been keeping him under observation ever since he and Kaname got together. When I found out they have a child together and passed it on to you, you got the bright idea to tamper with him."

"How do you feel about it?"

"It's certainly inspired. Not like the child deserves it, though. However, he is the offspring of a highly-skilled killer and a fellow 'Whispered'. The serum running in his veins will be an ideal punishment for his Mother's rejection of my affections toward her. She could have chosen me, yet she picked him. It shows she has poor taste. While Sagara, on the other hand, seemingly has exquisite taste. For a cold-blooded killer, that is."

"Can she be blackmailed into following our demands?"

"No. If anything, she's as strong-willed as my little sister. They both like the same killer, strangely enough."

"Well, we can use that at least. Yeah. I don't suppose you have access to military weaponry, do you." Suddenly, Leonard starts laughing. "I don't see what the joke is."

"You'll see, Hangi. As for that other item, we in Amalgam practically are the military." Snapping his fingers, he says, "Alastor, program 2111."

A massive, man-sized being comes out, draped within a trenchcoat. With a computerized voice, the being replies, _"2111, ready."_

Hangi Oshimura gulps as he gazes upon the machine. "What is that, Leonard?"

"The world's first semi-autonomous small AS. Miniaturization of the circuitry and power source was troublesome to be sure, but it was well worth it. Hangi Oshimura, meet the future of warfare. Alastor."

"How reliable is it?"

"It's waterproof and strong enough to break a neck simply by squeezing. I've seen it perform the latter. Without any flaws at all."

"Sure hate to be that thing's target. How many do you have on hand?"

"I have two hundred with me. More than enough to dissuade any hostile actions should anyone prove to be foolhardy enough to even make an attempt."

Back at the Queen Hotel Okinawa, Kaname and Sousuke are looking at the names until Kaname sees a very familiar name. "No wonder you included me, Tessa. Your brother's mixed up with 'Royalty Holdings' as well."

Her face scrunching up in thought, she says, "You know, I can't help but wonder if the SDK was part of Amalgam right from the very start." Jessica, unfamiliar with the name, finds herself curious.

"Amalgam?" Sousuke nods as he gives his reply.

"Affirmative, Miss Mach. Amalgam is the polar opposite to Mithril. In alloy terms, it's combining mercury with another metal, making amalgam. Mithril, being an unbreakable metal in myth, is highly unlikely to combine with an alloy like amalgam. Which, in this case, is a good thing."

"Amalgam assimilates while Mithril protects. They must want to rule the world or something." The remark has everyone stunned.

"You're not far off there." Beaming, Tessa replies, "Very good, Mr Stoppable. I can't believe the villains you and Mrs Stoppable faced off against considered you to be a mere buffoon."

"Yeah, well, I was having my clumsy years." At Kim's snickering, he quickly adds, "Of course, I was clumsy most of the time."

"Try all of the time, Ron!" Bonnie wraps him in her arms and adds, "At least you grew out of it. For the most part." Turning toward Tessa, she then asks, "You going to come hunting with us, Tessa?"

"I'm afraid not. As much as I want to, I can't take action against my own brother. The bond between us is too much to overcome. If I get in front of him, with a gun in my hand, no doubt I'll wind up like that girl that tried to kill Kaname in Tokyo. Especially with the Alastors Leonard undoubtedly has with him."

"Agreed. We have to do something about his Alastors first. How many does he have and do we have enough munitions in Roadwolf? We'd have to use Arm Slaves to handle them if we run out of rounds."

"I understand, Lieutenant. The boys in Ordnance are currently reloading Roadwolf's weapons inside the garage. The surveillance system for the hotel's garage has been hacked into, registering a continuous loop. So they should be done without any interruptions. Lieutenant Clouseau is currently on standby and performing surveillance with his M9 Falke. He's been observing the Oshimura compound as of 1700 hours today. It's 2000 hours right now."

"I see the Lieutenant's recovered then. I guess I'm back to being a Sergeant."

"Not necessarily, Lieutenant. If anything, you've shown true leadership skills while Lieutenant Clouseau was recuperating. Now that he's finished with his recuperation, he's actually suggested you retain your current rank. In turn, he'll transfer to the Indian Ocean Branch."

"So that's why you said what you said the way you did on our way back to Merida Island after we rescued the Tracy couples. You didn't know if he'd stick around or not." As Tessa nods, Kaname blinks quizzically at Sousuke and he elaborates.

"I was offered the call sign of Urzu 1, but felt I'm not quite ready. When we got together after Lieutenant Clouseau was injured, I guess Mithril started pondering whether or not to promote me." Suddenly, Kaname squeals as she kisses him.

"That's wonderful, Sousuke." Much to Kaname's surprise, Tessa's nodding in agreement. Returning the nod, Kaname says, "I say go for it, Sousuke. You're a natural leader and would make an excellent Urzu 1. I'm sure Lieutenant McAllen would be very proud of you. Do you recall his last words to you?"

"Affirmative. It was after Sergeant Major Mao was hurt. He told me I gave my best out there. Then, he walked away. That was the last time I saw him alive. He was a brave man and an excellent leader."

"That he was, Sousuke. Just like you are, have been and will be." Noticing his blush, Kaname giggles. "Face it, Sousuke. You're a made leader and you've also got some big shoes to fill, buster." Noticing Tessa's nod of agreement, Kaname adds, "Even Tessa's with me on that."

"That's right, Lieutenant. In fact, Lieutenant Clouseau even included his recommendation you become the new Urzu 1. He sends his congratulations to you and Kaname on your nuptials and child's birth, by the way." Suddenly, Tessa giggles, adding, "When he saw Sousuke Jr on Merida Island, nestled in Kyoko's arms, he said he'd be just like you. Only more refined."

Kim nods and replies, "Lieutenant Clouseau was my instructor for piloting an M9. He's very good at controlling his AS. In fact, when he saw me, he was stunned. He even said that he'd never imagined that I was still in the game."

"Did he give you much trouble? I recall that he trounced Arbalest when I faced off against his Falke when he first arrived."

"It was iffy, but so not the drama. In fact, he lost so bad, he did something he'd never expected."

"What's that?"

"He made a joke about booze and Arm Slaves. Of course, Ron rubbed off on him quite a bit."

"I see. Well, it's getting to be late. We'll plan in the morning and deal with Dr Fujimo then. Captain?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Any chance you can have Dr Goldberry analyze the counter-serum? If it's valid, I'm sure either Mr Kusanagi or Miss Morino would be interested in resuming their lives and regular aging cycles."

"Agreed. Although, a small sample would be sufficient to avoid suspicion on Dr Fujimo's part."

Blinking, Bonnie asks, "What do you mean by regular, Sousuke?" As Sousuke tells her, Bonnie's face, along with Tara, Kim and Jessica's faces, takes a dark look to it. "I say we attack that loser while his pants are down. Alastors or not."

"Actually, that does sound like a very good idea, Lieutenant Sagara. Remember that Howitzer you were designing?"

"Affirmative, ma'am."

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that Christmas has come early. Along with your belated birthday present." Her face beaming, she reaches into her jacket pocket and brings out two pieces of Velcro-backed material.

"Since Lieutenant Commander Kalinin told me about you naming the car Roadwolf, I took the opportunity to make these. They'll be perfect for your fatigues, Lieutenant and Mrs Sagara." When she hands the two pieces to the couple, they both get a look at them.

A rabid wolf, with it's fangs bared and wheels for feet. With the word 'ROADWOLF' emblazoned in red at the midsection.

"You mean?" At Tessa's nod and evil grin, Sousuke starts grinning evilly as well. "This is going to be good." Even Kaname starts grinning evilly as she starts chuckling.

"Roadwolf is going to kick ass. With fangs bared and fur flying." Turning to Ron and the others, she asks, "You guys want to join the hunt?"

Nodding, Ron replies, "Okay, we're so in. So, when do we attack?"

"In the morning, when everyone's asleep. Of course, the exploding Alastors would be a very rude wake-up call, but oh well. Captain, how soon can you get satellite images over Oshimura's compound?"

"I can get them within two hours, Lieutenant."

"Great. Ron, you and the others are the sniper/spotter teams. You each take a wall. Any Alastor you see, obliterate. Madam Captain, how many Howitzers did Mithril make?"

"Ten were made based on your design, Lieutenant. They're in prototype form and ready for their qualifications under fire. It'll be ideal if you carried one in Roadwolf as well."

"I agree. I want to try something that Commander Murphy did with an ED-209 when he went after that Dick Jones guy."

"Oh yeah. He told us he destroyed it in front of OCP Headquarters." Kim smirks as she quips, "Special delivery for Mr Alastor. An explosive delivery, no less."

Grinning, Tessa replies, "Yeah. But, for now, let's eat some shark steaks."

That night, they dine on shark steaks and enjoy the meal thoroughly. Tessa enjoys the meal so much, she asks about seconds. And thirds. And fourths. Soon, the shark meat bearing the Sagara name is gone and Tessa's appetite is sated. While the others are still eating their first shark steak slabs.

When they're done, Sousuke decides it's time for the jar of nitroglycerin to be used. Bringing out his Desert Eagle, he ejects the magazine and empties every single round from it. He even offers to modify Kaname's rounds with the jar's contents.

But she makes it very to him clear that any destruction to be done on a human body with what he has in mind will be done by Sousuke alone. At the same time though, to say she wasn't sorely tempted to let him modify hers as well? It'd be a totally blatant lie.

So, working cautiously and meticulously, Sousuke brings out a small amount of nitro and places it into the hollowed-out portion of the bullets. One at a time, which is a precise and painstaking process. Once he's done, he seals the explosive gel with melted wax, to keep the gel localized in the bullets' tips. Once the wax is dry, he cautiously places the nine now-explosive rounds into the DE magazine and places it into a foam-padded case.

In the hotel's garage, the Ordnance loading crew is steadily loading Roadwolf's munitions. Of all the rounds the car's weaponry had expended, the car still proved to be ideal for a light battle cruiser. However, since they had to load the ordnance, the weaponry is out in plain sight.

So, when the valet enters the parking area, he gets a nastily unexpected surprise. The car from the previous night, it's doors open, people poring over it and weapons out in plain view. His jaw drops and he starts breathing heavily in shock. One of the men notices his presence and walks up to him.

Still stunned, the valet gasps out, "That's not..."

"A car? Actually, it is. But with some extras. Luckily, you won't remember a thing."

"Are you kidding me? Something like this, I'll never be able to get out of my mind." Looking up at the man, he sees that he's wearing green fatigues. "Cool fashion, dude." Next thing he knows, there's a jabbing pain in his neck and a hiss of compressed air.

Five minutes later, he comes to outside the garage. With no idea as to how he got outside. Along with a pounding headache. Suddenly, his watch beeps. "Kami! I'm running late!" As he runs from the parking garage, he could swear he hears some light chuckling from within the garage.

As he runs, his mind starts churning with fantastic ideas for a comic he's been wanting to draw. Upon arrival at his house, he goes right to work on his comic. Drawing a basic outline of a car, he decides to draw something aggressive in style. As he peruses the car magazines he's been collecting, he quickly spots one that fits the criteria.

"Perfect!" Drawing the car's crude sketch, he then refines the sketch, humming a tune for a favorite television series, but badly butchering it at the same time. The work on the car only takes him one hour to do. For he wanted to get every single detail right. In terms of weaponry, vehicle color. Everything.

That night, back inside the Oshimura compound, Leonard and Oshimura compare each others' notes, ensuring they know what to do should anyone even get past the Alastors. However, Oshimura's aide has the lousy misfortune to wind up being decapitated when he rushes into Oshimura's office during their planning session.

Leonard had never trusted the man and instructed Hangi to kill him, feeling that Mithril may have planted a spy within the compound. Little do both men realize the aide had burst into the office to advise them of the black AS lurking just outside the perimeter.

The next morning, at Oshimura's compound, the gathered sanction team is getting into positions. The group left the hotel so early, Luke and Elizabeth didn't even know about it. While Sousuke and Kaname, in their fatigues with their new patches on their shoulders, forget about using Roadwolf's ECS and has Roadwolf go right to full 'Combat' mode.

The headlights recess into the car's front end and slide toward their opposite sides, revealing two forward-facing 40mm grenade tubes, one for each side as they poke outward. While the ADF pod and chain guns pop out of concealment.

Using the pictures and topography available, Sousuke found the most ideal spots for the sniper/spotter teams to do the most damage. Just outside of the compound, Lieutenant Belfangan Clouseau and his M9 Falke are observing the teams and their proficiency.

'And to think I almost missed the opportunity to see what the former Team Hawk and their friends are made of.' He then activates his communications, intent on checking on them. "All sniper/spotter teams, this is Urzu 1. Report in."

Ron's voice replies, _"SH-Squared. Ready at the East wall, Urzu 1."_

Jessica's voice replies,_ "HH and B. Ready at the West wall, Urzu 1."_

Bonnie's voice replies, _"WB and N. Ready at the North wall, Urzu 1."_

Tara's voice replies,_ "Blondie and Dagwood. Ready at the South wall. Looks like they're still sleeping like babies. Let's make them cry like they are babies, Urzu 1."_

Of all their protestations, Felix and Tara didn't want to kill anyone. Upon finding out the Alastors were not people but machines, they embraced the idea wholeheartedly. It seems they have no qualms about destroying robots made by evil people. Go figure.

Chuckling softly, Clouseau replies, "Copy that, Blondie. All units, commence operations and destroy the enemy Alastors. I'll be on standby should you need fire support. Good hunting."

"_Roger that, Urzu 1."_

Their unified response is enough to make the African-Canadian mercenary chuckle in amusement. Shortly afterward, the sound of 25mm rounds can be heard being fired and Alastors can be heard exploding.

Inside Roadwolf, Sousuke and Kaname grin as they hear the explosions. The hunting ban had just been lifted and Roadwolf is eager for action. Hitting the turbos, both teens hear the powerful car scream like a banshee as they, using the chain guns, open fire on and destroy the first Alastors they come across at the main gate.

In unison, they call out, "Wake-up call, Oshimura! Wake up! Wake up! It's morning! You'll be late! Time to die, asshole!" Laughing as they finish the yell, they pour on the speed, rapidly penetrating the perimeter like a violent bat out of a violence-filled Hell.

Inside the compound, Leonard is roused out of bed by the explosions and grimaces. "My children are being destroyed!" Turning to a waiting Alastor, he says, "Alastor, commence response A-1. Relay to all remaining units. Search and destroy."

"_Roger."_

As the semi-autonomous AS exits the luxurious bedroom, Leonard gets dressed, ignoring his instincts to put on his protective trenchcoat. He's that confident that he'll win. 'If my hunch is correct, my lovely Kaname is mixed up in this. As is my little sister. No matter. Whoever is attacking has no chance against Amalgam or the Alastors remaining.'

Upon finishing dressing, he goes past the trenchcoat, draped across his suite's chair. Walking through the house, he goes right to the Security room and finds the door is ajar. 'Strange. It's usually kept closed and locked.'

Peering inside, he sees Oshimura is standing at the screens, his form trembling in fear. "Hangi, get hold of yourself. We're completely safe from your Godson."

"Leonard, I'm only going to say this once. Sousuke's coming after me and he's driving a black car from Hell. So, I don't think we're going to be safe for much longer."

"He's driving a black car from Hell? Don't you mean Sagara's piloting an Arm Slave from Hell? That white Arm Slave named Arbalest?"

"No! I mean as in a black car from Hell! Look and see for yourself, you damned idiot genius!" Once Leonard gets a look at the screen, his face takes a scowl upon seeing the armaments on there. "You see what I mean, Leonard? That car is not any ordinary car! It's a major league moving violation!"

"Calm down. Even with all that weaponry, that car will be seriously hindered by the Alastors." Wincing when he sees the car speed right through a dust cloud triggered by a blast from an Alastor and begin returning fire, he adds, "Maybe not so much."

"Oh yeah, you think? Look again. There's no 'maybe not so much' about it, you little twerp!" Grinning, he then asks, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?"

As Leonard watches the Alastors being torn apart at the front gate by a pair of grenades, he remembers what Oshimura had just said. "Remember your place, Mr Oshimura. I may be younger than you are, but I am no twerp. But your superior in every aspect. As for his toys, I'd like to know that as well. Amalgam could find that one in particular to be quite useful for it's own ends. After all, an instrument of destruction like that belongs on our side, not Mithril's."

"What's Mithril?"

"Remember when I told you Sagara's a mercenary?" At his nod, Leonard goes on. "Sagara's a mercenary for Mithril. It's the polar opposite to Amalgam. In my opinion, the group is insignificant. We'll win."

"Then why'd he refuse the deal I offered him?"

"I don't know. But, you can find out, though."

On the perimeter, Ron, Bonnie, Jessica and Tara are shooting the Alastors with their borrowed 'Howitzers' and loving it as they watch the Alastors go to pieces. While Kim, Hirotaka, Stuart and Felix are their spotters. With every shot, however, the recoil against their shoulders is murder. With every recoil, they have the feeling they'll be having very impressive bruises the next day.

But, their spotters happen to enjoy giving massages to sore joints. So, with every recoil, they'll whisper into their loved ones' ear that they're doing great and their massage will be mind-blowing. Very soon, the Alastor count is greatly reduced due to Roadwolf's proximity to the man-sized AS units.

Inside Roadwolf, Sousuke and Kaname work in concert as they fire the chain guns, grenade launchers and ADF munitions pod. Nailing every Alastor unlucky enough to get in their way. Very soon, they're down to zero Alastors on the outside, along with zero munitions remaining.

Quite fortunate really, as the sniper teams had successfully sanctioned the other Alastors on the grounds. As Sousuke steps out of Roadwolf, he hears metallic footsteps from within the main structure. Upon recognizing the sound, he grins savagely as he quickly goes to the passenger side and opens the door.

Bringing up his belated birthday present from the floor of the passenger seat, he places the bipod on the roof and takes aim. When the Alastor gets close enough, he pulls the trigger, sending an armor-piercing, high-explosive round right at the machine. Upon impact, the machine goes right to pieces.

"Looks like that's the last Alastor, Kaname. Ready to kick some Amalgam ass?"

"Oh yeah. I still have a bone to pick with Leonard about what he did to that poor girl back home. He even compared himself to you. He's nothing like you, Sousuke. You're a man of honor, he's not. That's the end of it."

"Roger." With that, the couple goes inside the compound's main structure and prime their Desert Eagles. With Sousuke's loaded with nitro-enhanced rounds and Kaname's loaded with standard hollow-points. "I'll judge Oshimura while you judge the Captain's brother. Make it harsh. Very harsh. Watch your six."

"Oh, I intend to, Sousuke. And you watch your six as well. Kiss for luck?"

"Affirmative." Smiling when Kaname smiles as she leans in for a kiss, he gets ready to give her one.

"Actually, that's a negative." The couple looks up and sees a smugly-grinning Leonard before he frowns in disapproval. "Kaname, you know you belong with me. Not that Mithril-aligned mercenary bastard. But, you know, I've been wondering about something."

"Nope. I'm much happier with Sousuke. At least he's a good bastard while you're an evil bastard. What were you wondering about?" Upon seeing Oshimura on the steps, Kaname grins and says, "Sousuke, search and destroy time. That one is all yours, sweetie."

"Roger, honey."

Suddenly, Sousuke brings up his Desert Eagle and fires right at the four-tiered chandelier above Oshimura's head. The nitro-enhanced bullet breaks the chain without effort and causes the chandelier to fall right toward Oshimura's head. Oddly enough, it misses hitting him on the head, crashing onto the staircase behind him.

Turning to look behind him, Oshimura shakes his head piteously as he turns back toward them. He asks, "Will you be careful? That chandelier was made in France!" Sighing, he then asks, "Since you're here, how can I help you, Sousuke?"

"By putting up a fight and resisting. Of course, resistance is futile. I have a message from Fumiko and Keiko Sagara."

"Put up a fight? I don't think so, my boy. Anyway, what's the charge and message?"

"The murders of my parents, Fumiko and Keiko Sagara. As for the message, it goes like this. The end for your maniacal plans is near and your time is up, motherfucker."

"So fucking what? They were pieces of worthless garbage. Just like you, your wife and your brat are." Blinking, he then adds, "I can't believe you actually cursed in front of me!"

Ignoring him, Sousuke retorts, as he re-aims the Eagle at Oshimura's chest, "Dead or alive, you're not coming with me."

"You'll have to catch me first, boy!" Oshimura runs away, with Sousuke in hot pursuit.

Leaving Kaname alone with the slimiest sack of shit ever to walk the earth. Electing to keep him out of physical range, if only to avoid another kiss from him, Kaname brings her magnum to bear on Leonard.

"The way I see it, Leonard, you've only got two choices. Live in prison or die right here, right now." Next thing she knows, he smirks. "Wipe that smirk off your face, asswipe!"

"Now, now, dearest Kaname. Is that any way to talk to your destiny? Besides, the gun's safety is on and you don't even know a thing about guns." Next thing he knows, the Desert Eagle goes off and he feels a bullet graze his right cheek. Reaching a hand up, he feels a sting. Pulling his hand away, he looks at his fingertips and sees his own blood on them. "Are you nuts? You shot me, Kaname!"

"I could ask you the same thing. Besides, I just grazed you. Which pretty much disproves your idea I don't know about using guns. After all, I was taught to use guns by a heroic commando. As for you being my destiny."

"Yes? Have you accepted me?" Much to his shock, she angrily frowns.

"You? Being my fucking destiny? Don't make me barf. You're nowhere near being as good a man as Sousuke is. You'll never measure up to my beloved husband. You have no place in my life, Leonard Testarossa."

"Why can I not be in your life, Kaname? Just put down the Desert Eagle and we can talk about it like rational adults. After all, I didn't kill nearly as many people like your 'husband' did in the past."

"I don't want you in my life, Leonard. You stole my first kiss from me. It's supposed to be special because it's mutual. It wasn't. I was nowhere near interested in you. I was more interested in Sousuke. Even more, Sousuke's no murderer. If he has to kill, it's because they're doing something horrible. I told you that in Tokyo that night! Fucking baka!"

"Kaname, you know we're the same ages. That makes us adults. You can still change your mind about who you're with."

"Don't make me laugh. You're no adult. You're just a cowardly little boy that hides behind his fancy toys. Toys that are now destroyed, thanks to our friends on Team Hawk and their friends. So, what were you wondering about?"

"Ah, so they are the ones destroying my children. No matter. They will not survive against them." Smirking again, only to grimace upon feeling the bleeding graze, he asks, "Where does Sagara get those wonderful toys? Especially that one black car you both arrived in. It'll be perfect for Amalgam's purposes."

"Nope. According to Lieutenant Clouseau, all Alastors are destroyed, with no casualties on our side. As for where he gets them, Mithril makes them. With the designs of that one in particular courtesy of a genius when it comes to mobile weapon platforms."

Maintaining her aim, she adds, "It's all over, Leonard. Give it up. You have no chance with me at all and you have absolutely no chance in Hell of escaping punishment." Musing thoughtfully, she asks, "I am kinda curious about something, though. Was the Sho-Da-Kah part of Amalgam as well?"

"No, it was all Gauron's baby project. It was a good thing he had going. He'd formed the organization before he came to my attention. Now that I answered, will you be mine, my lovely Kaname?" Much to his shock, she's laughing loudly and cruelly. "I'll take that as a no. Pity."

"You're certainly persistent. I'll give you that much. But, for the last time, Leonard, I have no interest or feelings other than total contempt for you. Sousuke is the man I love. Even if he's killed people his whole life. Because those he'd killed were all bad and he's on the side of right. He's the one I love and I'll die right by his side when our time comes. That, to me, is true love. Sousuke is my true love. Not you, you long-haired freak!"

"You still could change mates. It's not too late, you know." Bringing up a syringe filled with a very familiar-looking green liquid, he cruelly, yet casually, adds, "Unless, of course, you want me to find your 'precious' little baby boy and cause his aging process to be messed with." Upon seeing and then relishing her horrified face, he goes on.

"I'd certainly hate to see your lovely face collapse into tears when your 'precious' son succumbs to death. Of course, the world has no place for the offspring of a murderer like Sagara and a beautiful woman like you, my dearest Kaname. So, to sever your ties with Sagara, I offer to inject this into him. Unless, of course, you want to do it. I'd find it much more appealing. A child, killed by the one that gave birth to it. The perfect death."

Snarling out, Kaname bellows, "You sawed-off, long-haired, prissy little, shit-headed bastard! If you think for one minute that I'll allow you access to Sousuke Jr, you're really out to lunch! If you think for one minute I'm going to put that shit into him, you're seriously nutso! You will die, Leonard! Prepare to be judged!"

Right then and there, as he sees the fires of fury rise in her beautiful brown eyes, Leonard realizes that he has just made a terrible and potentially fatal mistake. The mistake of threatening a woman and her husband's child. Particularly Kaname and Sousuke's child.

Closing his eyes, he can't but mutter, "Oh, shit. I'm fucked." For now he thinks he knows what'll happen next. He has no idea as to how right he is.

Her protective nature flaring up, like a Mother lioness', Kaname snarls out, "You said it and wish, shit for brains! Nobody threatens to fuck with Sousuke and my kid's DNA, Leonard Testarossa! Nobody! Not even the brother of a good friend of mine!"

Squeezing off another round, she manages to nail Leonard right in the right thigh. "That was for stealing my first kiss, asshole!" Shooting him in the other thigh as he collapses onto the staircase, screaming in pain as he clutches his damaged limb, she says, "That's for disrespecting Sousuke!"

Stomping up to him, she aims the Desert Eagle right at his privates and says, "This is for threatening Sousuke Jr with 'standstills' and coveting Roadwolf! Enjoy your neutering! I know I will enjoy neutering you! Very, very much!"

Pulling the trigger, she relishes his high-pitched scream of pain as the powerful .44 magnum hollow-point round shreds his reproductive system. As he clutches his destroyed privates, Leonard feels true fear as he looks up at the young and enraged blue-haired beauty.

In a pathetic pleading tone of voice, he starts begging. "Mercy. Please, my lovely Kaname. I'll leave you alone if it's truly what you want. I'll even withdraw my threat of giving your son the injection to cause 'standstills' within him. I don't even want Roadwolf, whatever it is! Just please don't kill me!"

Starting to shed tears, he looks up at Kaname, hoping to find a hint of compassion within her brown eyes. Much to his shock, he finds no trace of it. Only angered hostile intent.

"Mercy? You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of sterner stuff, Leonard." Jerking the syringe out of his hand, she removes the cap, puts her thumb on the plunger and sprays the green liquid all over his destroyed privates.

Much to his horror, he finds the fluid to be stinging. Especially on sensitive wounds like his. As he screams, his scream starts becoming shrill with the pain. She then jabs the needle into his crotch. Enjoying hearing him scream in agony, she meanly smirks.

"Flattery will only get you hurt! And you will be leaving me alone when I'm done with you! Even more, you will not even come near Sousuke's and my baby! Or anyone else's! And Amalgam won't even get near Roadwolf!" Stepping back to shoot him in the left shoulder, she goes on.

"That was for having one of your Alastors kill that girl, Xia Yu Lan, in Tokyo!" Shooting him in the right, she adds, "That's for sending Gauron after me!" Aiming at his forehead, she says, "This is for betraying your sister and Mithril. I hereby find you guilty under the laws of the battlefield. The penalty for all those counts is neutering and death."

Kaname starts pulling the trigger as she hears the sweet sound of Leonard whimpering as he wets his pants. "You tried taking everything from me, Leonard. But you failed, miserably. You don't even deserve to live, let alone plead for your pathetic life."

Looking up at the enraged beauty, he notices a patch on her fatigue's sleeve and feels a sudden burst of fear. Just from looking at it. The patch of Roadwolf. "Please, no. Can't you give me another chance? Please, fair lady Kaname. I'm truly sorry for everything."

"You only get one chance in life. If you blow it majorly, it's over. And boy, did you ever blow it. Take this with you as you face the Almighty, Leonard Testarossa. 'If you're walking on eggs, don't hop'. Guess what you were doing."

"Hopping with my ambitions?"

"And making a big ass-honking mess. Goodbye, Leonard Testarossa."

The sound of the .44 magnum echoes throughout the room as Leonard Testarossa's brain matter decorates the white marble stairs behind his corpse. As he falls backward in death, his eyes still open in fearful shock, Kaname is on the move. Intent on catching up to her beloved husband. Hoping that he'll be all right against Oshimura. Also to see Oshimura get what's coming to him.

As the light fades from Leonard's eyes, the final image, if it can be seen, is that of a rabid wolf. It's fangs bared, with wheels for feet. Right with the other patch of Mithril.

On the upper level, as Oshimura runs from the teen bearing the x-shaped scar, he feels something he hadn't felt since his teen years. Total, utter fear. The fear he had heaped upon those as a bully is now coming back to haunt him.

'If I was this kid's age right now, I'd be shitting my pants! He's the kind of kid that would bully the bullies! Especially if what Leonard said is true! However...'

Suddenly feeling cocky, Oshimura stops and turns around, smirking as his hand goes for the dragon-shaped jade katana handle hidden under his _obi_. He's still smirking when he sees Sousuke walking toward him, the muzzle of the Desert Eagle pointing right up toward the ceiling.

"Hangi Oshimura! You're in real deep shit, asshole!"

Spitting contemptuously onto the floor, Hangi says, "I'm ready to go now. I'll go peacefully if you like."

"I'm not arresting you. I'm not a Law Enforcement Officer, so I don't have that obligation." Aiming the Desert Eagle right at Hangi's chest, he adds, "You killed my parents and robbed me of the rest of my childhood. You took everything from me."

Waving it off, he says, "Come on, Sousuke. I was just thirty when I killed your folks. Besides, it's not like your childhood was a picnic before they died. You owe me for making you what you are. You don't hold a grudge, right?"

His tone is hopeful with that last remark. Yet, his hopes are quickly dashed when Sousuke smiles evilly. "Right, little buddy? I'll give you 30,000,000,000 yen if you'll let me live. I've got plenty to go around. You are a mercenary after all, right? Surely that amount appeals to you."

When Hangi doesn't get an answer other than the smile, he yells, "This isn't funny, Sousuke! Come on, buddy! Don't get cute, man!" Snarling as he brings out his katana, he screams, "WE'LL SEE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES, SOUSUKE SAGARA!"

Suddenly, he feels an impact on his wrist, just as the report of the .44 magnum is heard. He looks at his wrist and is shocked to discover his katana hand had been blown off from there. Looking down onto the floor, he gulps upon seeing a badly-mangled hand clutching a very familiar dragon-shaped jade handle.

"How?" Next thing he knows, the shock wears off and he starts feeling the pain. "OWW!" Upon screaming in pain, he begins whimpering and blubbering like the fool he is. "Good grief, that fuckin' hurts!" Much to his shock, Sousuke's laughing wickedly. "That's not funny, Sousuke! If anything, it's uncool!"

"On the contrary. It's fuckin' hilarious and cool. You see, these are the bullets that go ka-boom on impact, Hangi. It's supposed to fuckin' hurt." At Hangi's wide eyes, he adds, "It's a very good thing I saved that bottle of nitroglycerin. It came in real handy." Smirking as he walks toward Oshimura, he holsters the Desert Eagle in a specially-made thigh holster.

"You have a bottle of nitro? Where did you get it? Hell, how'd you get it?" Still whimpering as he wraps his bleeding stump, Hangi manages to gasp out, "You're dead, little soldier boy. Just like your worthless parents are! You just don't know it yet!"

"No. I'm alive. As for where or how I got it, it's none of your concern." Charging at Hangi, he launches a boot kick right into Hangi's solar plexus, knocking the breath out of the man. Giving him an uppercut with his knee, he knocks the man down.

Starting to kick Hangi in his right flank repeatedly, Sousuke asks, "Why'd you kill my folks, Hangi? Speak or you're dead right now, asswipe!" Musing thoughtfully, he then adds, "Then again, I am enjoying myself immensely. I could go like this all day if I have to. Big question is, can you last a whole day?"

With every kick he sustains, Hangi starts to sob out, "They refused to let me inject you with a serum when you were born! One that'll be my key to immortality! Stop kicking me, please! I yield! I yield, dammit! You're not supposed to kick someone while they're down!"

Upon feeling the scar-faced teen stop kicking him in bemusement, Hangi takes a ragged breath and grimaces upon feeling a group of broken ribs. Feeling the urge to twist the verbal knife, he does so.

"Of course, granted, you likely won't be around to see it. But your descendants will be. They'll become my subjects unless I decide otherwise. Hell, I'll just kill them off anyway. My power is too important to me to be stripped away by a Sagara! Especially one with a grudge against me! Now do you understand?"

"Yes, I do. It's so very, perfectly, clear to me now." Hangi smiles in triumph, only to scowl when Sousuke shakes his head and yells, "You're completely out of your fucking mind, you crazy shithead!"

"Why's that?"

"Human beings aren't meant to live forever, stupid! The main purpose of life is do what you can to make a positive impact with the remaining time you have left!"

Taking a step toward Hangi, he sees the older man is bringing out a pair of prop glasses and putting them on as he stands back up. Sensing the chance to have some fun nearby, Sousuke clenches his right fist. Ready to strike.

"You wouldn't hit a guy wearing glasses, would you, Sousuke?" Next thing he knows, Sousuke's fist rams right into his face, breaking his prop glasses and nose in one blow.

"Actually, I would and have. No matter what the situation. It's not a problem for me."

Next thing he knows, Hangi blindly charges toward him, yelling in pure fury. Sousuke manages to dodge him and wrap his right arm around the man's neck. As Hangi tries hitting Sousuke with his elbows, Sousuke tightens his arm around Oshimura's neck.

"This is for killing my parents, you son of a bitch. Now it ends." Giving his arm a good yank to the right, Sousuke breaks Hangi Oshimura's neck with a loud cracking crunch and allows the corpse to simply fall to the ground. Hard. "Burn in Hell, Hangi Oshimura."

"Sousuke?" Turning around, Sousuke sees Kaname standing behind him, wearing a concerned look on her face. "You okay?"

"Affirmative. I'm okay." Looking back toward the corpse, Sousuke adds, "But he's not." Giving a slight grimace as he spits on the body, Sousuke adds, "That bastard wanted to inject me, but my folks wouldn't let him. That's why he shot and killed them, Kaname."

"Inject? You mean, with that 'standstill' crap? When you were a tiny little baby?"

"Affirmative. I got his words all on here." Opening his pocket, he brings out a small digital voice recorder and clicks it off. "Thought I'd record a little something for Grams. Perhaps she'll think twice before suggesting a Godparent for any innocent child."

"Perhaps. But, quite frankly, your parents made the best choice possible for you. You're their son. If they didn't trust his intentions, they had every right to refuse. He was in the wrong, Sousuke. Not them and certainly not you."

"Roger." Taking his wife into his arms, he says, "I believe I still owe you a kiss, Kana-kun."

"Hmm, affirmative." Giggling as Sousuke kisses her, she wraps her arms around him, unaware of the corpse starting to twitch behind him. Separating from the kiss, Kaname then says, "While we're on the subject of Godparents, we still need to pick Sousuke Jr's Godparents. We've been so busy, we haven't had a chance to do so yet."

"Affirmative. Only requirements I can think of off-hand is that they're not deranged lunatics, demented ding-dongs or slightly-unhinged megalomaniacs. If they're any of those, they need not apply. As they will be rejected. If they persist, annihilated." Kaname giggles, just as she catches sight of a moving Oshimura.

Audibly gulping, she says, "Um, Sousuke, quick question, love." Next thing she knows, she sighs at the heavenly feeling of Sousuke's face nuzzling into her neck. "Hmm, Sousuke?"

Nuzzling her neck, he asks, "Yeah, Kaname, my heart?" Laying featherlight kisses on her neck, he asks, "Something on your mind?"

Relishing feeling Sousuke's lips on her neck, she manages to get out, "Yeah. When a person's neck is broken, doesn't that mean that person's dead? Oh, that feels so good, honey."

As he kisses her neck, he replies, "It's usually the outcome. Why do you ask, sweetie?"

Giggling nervously while he necks her, she replies, "Well, I hate to stop you from necking me, even though I'm thoroughly enjoying it. But it seems that we've got a moving corpse behind you." Sousuke stops necking her, turns around and sees that Oshimura's body is indeed getting up from the floor. "Now I know that you know how to kill people, Sousuke. So how do you explain this bullshit?"

"He may have experimented on himself, Kaname. It's the only logical conclusion I can think of off-hand."

"Indeed I have, you little bastard of a prick! Because I took my medication, I am the ultimate human being! I am now perfect, immortal and all powerful!" Oshimura moves his head disjointedly around his shoulders, cracking his severed vertebrae back into place.

"Thanks to the wonders of modern medical science, I can survive anything you throw at me. Thanks to the wonders of modern medical science, I am not merely Oshimura! I am the power! I am now Kami! I am all powerful!" He then starts laughing maniacally.

Gulping at the sight, Sousuke says, "I believe Ron would say, right about now, that this is sick and wrong on so many levels."

"Yep. He definitely would, Sousuke. Even more, he'd be right. I really don't think the world's ready for a guy with delusions of grandeur. Let alone delusions of Kami-hood."

"Agreed. I can never seem to deal very well with a bozo that thinks he's Kami." While their discussion goes on, Oshimura has kept into speaking his monologue.

"You broke my neck, you little prick. Now it's time for me to return the favor. Only you won't be coming back like I did just now. After all, you didn't take your..." Reaching into his robe, he brings out a syringe filled with green liquid.

"Medication like you were supposed to as a little boy. Once you're dead, I'll ravage your lovely young wife. When I'm done with her, I'll send her to join you. I'll then go find your son and give him your medication."

That ends their discussion. "About that idea." Bringing his Desert Eagle back out, Sousuke smirks and asks, "Wanna bet?" His face taking a scowl as he aims at Oshimura, he snarls, adding, "You're not getting near my wife or our baby boy, you crazy shithead!"

Pulling the trigger, he sends another nitro-enhanced hollow-point magnum round from the hand-held cannon screaming at Oshimura. Upon impact, he watches a hole get punched right into the man's chest cavity. Just barely above his gut. The hole is so massive, you can see the opposite wall through it. He then watches Oshimura look down at himself and scowl as he looks back up at Sousuke.

His voice grating in a manner unfit for an executive, he bellows, "You insensitive little prick! Do you have any idea how much dry cleaning a robe like this one costs around here? Especially for removing blood stains! Let alone how much that stings!"

Shrugging, Sousuke casually replies, "Not a problem for me. It's not like I'll be paying for it."

Firing another round, he watches another big hole appear. This time in the upper chest area. Right at just below Hangi's collarbone. Behind Sousuke, Kaname is fighting to keep her breakfast down. While lightly giggling at the man's cries of protest. Even though she finds it sickening, she also finds it to be quite morbidly entertaining.

"That really stings!"

"Still not a problem for me." Firing one more time, he sends a round flying at Oshimura's head, blowing it apart. As the body sways back and forth, Sousuke remarks, "Now you've really completely lost your fucking mind, you crazy shithead asshole."

With that, the corpse falls to the floor one final time. Sousuke walks toward it, intent on destroying the body's remains completely with the nitro-enhanced magnum rounds. In the background, a trembling and sickened Kaname watches Sousuke demo the corpse. Smirking inwardly, she knows full well an angry Sousuke is not pleasant to be around at all. Let alone not the kind you'd want to mess with.

'That'll teach you to think you are or can be immortal! You baka bastard!'

With every remaining nitro-enhanced shot from the powerful handgun, Sousuke blows off every single limb. Right at the hip and shoulder joints. When the slide locks back after round nine is expended, Sousuke turns and sees his wife, looking up at him with her love for him in her eyes. Pressing the slide release down, he allows the slide to slam home and brings down the hammer.

Holstering the Desert Eagle, he then says, "Let's get out of and demo this dump, Kaname. I don't much care for being in morgues. Or at least something close to them in the current state it's in."

"You said it, Sousuke. This place gives me the creeps as it is."

Sousuke nods as he sets about improvising a demolition charge ideal for leveling the compound. Prior to severing the house's gas line, he rigs a grenade and a water bucket together to act as a trigger. Upon filling the bucket with water, he places a fragmentation grenade right under it. Kaname then gets the idea and sends a round into the bottom of the bucket. Just before Sousuke severs the gas line.

"This is Urzu 7. Angel and I preparing to demo this dump. Withdraw and regroup."

"_Urzu 1, roger. Good going, 7."_

"_He's got a good point, Urzu 7."_ The others' united voices give Sousuke the courage he needs to make his decision. The decision regarding his call sign.

"This is Urzu 7 again. I'll be changing my call sign as of two weeks from now. My new call sign will be Urzu 1."

"_'Yeah!"_ Chuckling at the unified shout, Sousuke looks over at Kaname and takes her hand into his.

"Let's get out of this dump."

"Roger that, Urzu 1." Giving him a quick kiss, she adds, "Mmm, I like the sound of it already, Sousuke."

Beating feet, they go past Leonard's corpse and get into Roadwolf, bringing the 'Howitzer' back into the car. Powering up the powerful engines, Sousuke checks his watch as he puts the car in 'drive' and hammers down, using the turbos.

As they exit the compound in Roadwolf, the improvised charge detonates, leveling the compound and destroying all traces of their presence. Upon meeting with the others, they find they have enough time to go diving for the day.

While Lieutenant Clouseau kindly declines, opting instead to return to Merida Island in Geybo 1. As the Mithril helo carrying the M9 Falke fades out of sight, Tara turns to the others and grins, before using her best cheerleading voice.

"Diving party!" As the group gets into their rental vehicles, Tara looks over at Felix and softly says, "I've always wanted an underwater massage, Felix."

"Sure. Sounds fun."

At his dive shop, earlier in the morning, Fujimo is coming out of his rest with a head-splitting headache. "Oh, Kami. I've got to lay off the '_sake_'. I've got a bad noggin buster here." Going to his lab, he sees his penance project is still there and softly nods in relief. Five hours later, he's still nursing his headache. This time, avoiding the '_sake_'. Suddenly, his day takes a very painful turn.

"Hey, anyone here?"

The loud feminine voice outside is enough to render him in agonizing pain. As he clutches his head, his eyes dart back and forth. Getting up, he staggers to the door and opens it. When he sees a pair of vaguely familiar faces, he shrugs and lets them in. For a slight instant, he can't help but wonder if he'd seen them before.

"How can I help you young folks today?" The young blue-haired woman lightly giggles while the young man with a unique facial scar merely snorts. "Is it something I said?"

"Negative. Just having a flash of deja vu. Most perplexing."

"Yeah. Same here. What'll it be, sonny?"

"My wife and I, my cousin and his wife and our friends would like to do some scuba diving today."

"Okay. How many in your party?"

"Let's see. There's myself and Kaname. My cousin Luke and his wife Elizabeth. Ron and Kim, Hirotaka and Bonnie, Felix and Tara. Stuart and Jessica haven't had any formal dive training, but they're eager to learn."

"Sure. But, I can't do any lessons today. I've got a heckuva noggin buster. But, don't let that keep you from selecting a teacher in your group."

"Roger. Just leave it to me." As the group places the money on the counter, Sousuke adds, "Our way of thanking you, sir."

"Okay, although payment is usually necessary." He's then perplexed when they start laughing softly. "I think I'll go take a nap. Maybe it'll help to get rid of this noggin buster."

The young and well-tanned brunette softly replies, "Sure. Enjoy yourself."

"I plan on it. Enjoy your diving, young ones."

"Roger that." Shaking his head at their unified response, he shrugs as he goes to his bed and lies back down.

As they select their dive gear, Kaname looks over at Sousuke and finds herself curious. "Sousuke?"

"Yeah, Kaname?"

"Why did that shark come toward us yesterday, anyway? They usually don't approach unless they smell blood in the water."

"Off-hand, I'd say it was attracted by the scent of sex in the ocean. After all, we were going at it pretty good." Her face glowing in a blush, Kaname giggles.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Sharks do have a good sense of smell. If it can sniff out blood, it can sure sniff out when someone's having an adult version of 'fun' under the waves." That day, the groups enjoy their scuba diving.

Four days later, Sousuke and Kaname prepare to leave Okinawa and meet up with the transport helo that brought them to the island paradise. Their Team Hawk friends had left the previous day, enjoying the time spent diving and generally having a good time. As they leave the hotel, they see Altobelli standing with Norman and Jane.

"Hey, you guys come to see us off?"

"Indeed, Mrs Sagara. At the same time, I'm heading back to Metro. Mithril came through on the formula for Norman and he's going to put it in a safety deposit box, with instructions it be delivered to Ron and the others upon his death."

"Don't you think that's a little morbid, Mr Altobelli?"

"No, Sousuke." They both turn at Norman's voice. "I've lived a long time. Twenty of those years were with guilt that was not my own. It's taken a long time for me to place my burden down. Thanks to my friends and my wife, I can do so. But only step by step, day by day." Shaking his head rapidly, he's able to stop himself from breaking into song.

"Guilt that wasn't your own?"

"Yeah, Kaname. You see, I watched Jesse Mach die on my monitor that day. I keep going over it over and over again, wondering, 'What if I had seen it coming?'. But, it's no use. Once a radar-guided missile has a lock on you, you can just kiss your ass good-bye."

Channeling Yoda, Sousuke says, "So much pain, you're carrying. Maybe talk to Mrs Kusanagi sometime, you can. So put that burden to rest, you can. For me, she did." Upon hearing Kaname sigh in amused exasperation, he returns to his usual speaking manner and asks, "What can I say? I loved the 'Star Wars' movies."

Grinning, Norman replies, "Sure. I understand that. Got a number?"

"Affirmative." As he writes it down, he goes on. "She may be unconventional, but she does have the best intentions and knows what she's doing."

"Oh. Does she use hypnosis or aromatherapy?"

Grinning, Kaname replies, "You'll have to find that out for yourself, Norman. Because you probably won't believe us if we told you."

"Yeah, you may have a point there. After all, I've seen a lot of strange things in my time. Her vanishing into thin air is borderline eleven on the weird-shit-o-meter." Shaking his head, Norman then asks, "Where to next for you both?"

Before Kaname can reply, Sousuke says, "Osaka, before we go to the Onken resort. I have the sudden urge and deep desire to see where I had spent the first eight years of my life before it got so badly fouled up."

Altobelli nods his approval and says, "Well, there's nothing wrong with seeing where you used to live, my boy. I hope you find whatever answers you're looking for."

"Yeah. Same here. Ready, Kaname?"

"Yep. Good to go." Nodding to his beloved, Sousuke barely gets two steps away before he feels Kaname gripping his arm tightly.

"Kaname?"

"Over at the front desk, Sousuke." Sousuke looks over and his steel-grey eyes go wide at what he sees.

A comic with a colorfully-drawn version of their car on the front cover. With a massive machine gun mounted on the roof. Right above the car is the wording, 'Car From Hell'. Standing at the front desk is the valet, handing out copies to little children. Upon seeing Sousuke and Kaname standing there, he smiles and brings a copy over to them.

"Here. Take one with you. When you have kids, pass it on to them. A little something to remember your stay here with us. I did the artwork and storyline."

"Gee, thanks." Looking at the car, Kaname giggles. "This is very well-drawn. You've got some real talent."

"Thanks. But, I think that may be my only volume for the series." Shrugging, he adds, "Oh well. It seems that not many kids like seeing an armed and dangerous car. I'll just stick with being a valet."

"Good plan. Bye." As they exit and leave, they share a chuckle. As they get into Roadwolf, Kaname asks, "You think he knows, Sousuke?" As Sousuke wheels the car out, he smirks.

"Doubt it. The machine gun on the roof is a single-mounted 20mm electric cannon. While it would be ideal for automotive use, it'd be too heavy for the car's roof to even support."

"Yeah. That's a good point. It'd have to be attached to a reinforced platform before it can be mounted. Oh well, a guy can always dream, I guess."

"Hmm, affirmative." With that, the couple leaves Okinawa and meets up with their transport back to the Japanese mainland. As they strap the car down, they both start wondering about who should be Sousuke Jr's Godparents. Their list is already extensive.

Their friends on the 'external' SRT, Kalinin, Tessa, Mardukas, Kurz and Melissa. Next thing they know, the communication chimes. Grinning, Kaname answers it.

"Kaname Sagara."

"_Oh, Kaname!"_ Kyoko's happy face and chipper voice has Kaname smiling. _"I have great news for you!"_

"Oh? What is it, Kyoko?"

"_Shinji and I are going skinny-dipping. He finally asked me. We found this quiet lagoon here on the base. So, we'll be here until we get the all clear before returning home."_

"That is a good idea for a fun time, Kyoko. Especially if that guy's still lurking around Tokyo somewhere. I hope you get the all clear soon, though."

"_It'll be a while yet. Especially since I'm wanting to try giving Sousuke Jr a playmate or two in a few months."_

"A baby?" At Kyoko's happy nod, Kaname giggles as she asks, "Are you sure, Kyoko? You'll have morning sickness to contend with. Can you really handle it?"

"_Aside from the morning sickness, yeah. Can't say the same for Melissa, though. She's even crankier than usual."_

Sousuke snorts in amusement and retorts, "She's always been cranky. So I'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference "

Kyoko gasps and giggles as she replies, _"I won't tell her you said that, Sousuke. Of course, she is thinking about doing the same thing."_

"Didn't expect that to happen." Kaname shakes her head as she asks, "How's Sousuke Jr doing? Is he being a good baby at least?"

"_Oh, he's doing just fine. Tessa's watching over him and feeding him at the moment. I think she's got a crush on him. Even though he's just a baby. Either that or she's starting to feel her maternal instincts."_

"Yeah. I guess Sagaras tend to have that effect on women nearby to them. It seems it happened to Sousuke after his parents died." Thinking of an idea for fun, Kaname smiles as she adds, "I'll talk to you later, Kyoko. Sousuke and I need some quiet time now."

Taking the hint from her best friend, Kyoko says, _"Okay, Kaname. Enjoy yourselves."_

"Oh, we intend to, Kyoko. We intend to. You can count on that." Ending transmission, Kaname gets out of Roadwolf when Sousuke does and waits until he sits on the helo's bench.

Without warning, she straddles his waist and pecks him softly, saying, "Besides, I want to try something I saw in your mind the other night."

"Kaname?"

"Shh." Smiling as she removes her shirt, she relishes Sousuke's bulging eyes as her unclad breasts come flying out. "That's right, Sousuke. I'm not wearing a bra. I saw those women fussing over you in your memory and felt I should be the only one handling that department. Then again, I guess they were like Mothers to you." Nestling Sousuke's face between her breasts, Kaname starts cooing at him.

"You wanna suckle on my breasts, baby?" When she doesn't get a reply, she looks and sees that he's stunned. With his jaw dropped down onto the bench seat. Giggling at his semi-innocence, Kaname gently places one breast against his lips, hoping he'll take the hint. Sure enough, he does. As he suckles on her breast, Kaname giggles while cooing.

"That's a good baby's Daddy. Drink Mommy's baby milk."

Author's Notes: Hope you liked the TSR involvement, however minor it was. I thought I'd establish the timeline for the conjunction series for sometime after TSR. Seeing as I have three DVDs so far and looking forward to the last one coming out. In the next chapter, during a visit to Sousuke's family home, they come across an intruder that's not quite what they'd expect.

Along with visit Kaname's aunt and her receptionist, with the aunt and receptionist having a set of secrets of their own. They even find a 'conspiracy' that shocks the both of them right to their very cores. Add to that two whacked out villains, an even more whacked out lackey, along with a bunch of psychos and you have a big old butt-honking mess. You better get ready! Later! Seriously!


	3. Take Three: The Android Incident

Honeymoon p 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic! or Not Quite Human. Wish I did though.

Author's Notes: I thought I'd do a tribute to a tri-movie and book series I saw a long time ago. What if Chip Carson was to meet the Mithril crew? What would happen as a result? You better get ready!

Take Three: The Android Incident

_(Five Years Ago)_

A young man, walking along the streets of Osaka Japan, is touring on his own. His Father felt that he'd earned a trip for himself, with the condition he contact him daily to ensure his computer and power supply is adequately functioning.

Yes, the young man is no ordinary, run of the mill man. But an android. His name is Chip Carson and he's been in Japan for ten days now. Ever since his arrival in Japan ten days ago, he'd been walking. Knowing full well that his metal body, with it's weight, can render a rental bicycle useless. And, as he doesn't have a driver's license, he couldn't even rent a car.

All of a sudden, his low power alert comes on. Intent on reaching the nearest outlet possible, he heads right for the house he's right in front of. Seeing the Kanji name plate, he makes a note of it in his databanks after getting a translation. Knocking on the door, he's surprised when it comes open. Thinking it might have been him, he softly steps inside and looks around, closing the door behind him.

"Hello? Anyone here? I'm sorry about your door, but I think you have termites." Smiling at the last part, he's pleased he'd managed to keep his secret intact. As he searches for an electrical outlet, he sees a cluster of pictures. Some with a young boy, some with the boy and his parents, and some with the parents by themselves.

"Nice looking family. Wonder where they are. I'm sure they won't mind me recharging myself here for about an hour." Reaching into his knapsack and opening his left ankle, he brings out his plug set and power cord upon finding an outlet. "I just hope no one shows up while I'm recharging. Dad wouldn't like to explain at all."

Plugging himself in, he waits for the electricity to flow into his power cell. Suddenly, his worst fear comes to pass. "No power? Oh no." Reaching to unplug himself, his body suddenly stops and his computer starts shutting down. "I'm sorry, Dad. Looks like I'll be missing my check in with you..."

At that moment, Chip Carson's internal computer deactivates and Chip is still reaching for the power cord. The power cord connected to a dead outlet. The dead outlet facing the pictures. The pictures inside the house. The house bearing the name written in Kanji. The house of Sagara.

_(Present Day)_

"Sousuke, are you sure about this?" Kaname looks up from the comic she's been reading for the fifth time since leaving Okinawa, finding the story engaging. If not a bit anemic when it comes to the plot. "It's been a long time since you were in your family home."

"Affirmative, Kaname. If anything, I'd like to see where I spent the first few years of my life. Maybe it'll bring back some memories for me." Spying the comic in her hand, he asks, "Any similarity in that comic and us, my love?"

"Other than the car's color, not really. After all, as far as I know, you'd never gone after renegade fishermen intent on killing all of the whales. Bonnie's 'Dad' doesn't even count. Besides, you were in Japan with me and Roadwolf wasn't even on Mr Tuttle's mind."

"True. Oh well. I just hope the intel we picked up from the Hall of Records pans out."

"I hope so too, Sousuke. Maybe it'll give you a little more closure until you bring your parents' bodies home." Closing the comic up, Kaname gets a semi-sneaky grin as she reaches her hand over to his zipper, so she can see how flustered he gets.

Sousuke and Kaname had just arrived in Osaka and are heading for his family home. After checking with the Osaka Hall of Records, Sousuke and Kaname found the address and gotten directions. Kaname's hand stops short when she sees the address.

"There it is, Sousuke. 318 Lotus Drive."

"Roger." Bringing Roadwolf to a stop, he looks to his right and examines the house. "It's bad enough the neighborhood's been abandoned for the past decade, but they could at least improve security here. It looks like the house's security has been compromised."

"Well, maybe you can beef up security here, Sousuke. It'd certainly make a nice little getaway for us. A love nest of sorts."

"Yeah. It would." Kaname giggles as her husband gets out of the Celica and goes over to her side to give her a hand out of the car.

"Why thank you."

"You're welcome." As they near the door, Sousuke's grey eyes pick up dusty knuckle prints on the door. "Looks like someone knocked first before entering." His eyes then pick up something more on the porch floor. "Even more, the lock on here rusted out, rendering the door insecure. There may be someone inside. Wait here, Kana-kun."

Drawing his Glock and priming it, he opens the door, points the Glock in front of him and sweeps the first room. He then sees a form standing right there. "Hands up." When the form doesn't comply and just stands there, Sousuke slowly walks toward it. "What is your purpose here?" Once again, no answer. Once he gets close enough, he notices the form's position and gets a closer look.

'What in the heck?' Blinking his grey eyes in disbelief, he takes in the power cord and the hand reaching for it's plug. 'A human-shaped machine?' Holstering his Glock, Sousuke then says, "It's clear, honey. But we seem to have a smaller version of an AS in here. It's no Alastor, so it's not a problem."

"An AS? Smaller version? How do you mean, Sousuke?" Coming up behind her husband, Kaname notices the white power cord and the form's position. "What does it look like happened, Sousuke?"

"From appearances, I'd say it's internal power supply was low, so it entered the nearest possible house to replenish it's power supply. Upon plugging in, it's computer seemed to have advised it the power was off and it tried unplugging."

"But it shut down before it could." At Sousuke's nod, Kaname asks, "Can we do anything for it? I'd like to find out more if possible."

"Affirmative. We can turn the power back on and hope the power surge doesn't fry it's circuitry." Reaching into his pants pocket, he brings out a small flashlight and says, "I'll be right back, Kaname."

"Okay. I'll keep an eye on things here, Sousuke."

"Roger." Once Sousuke's gone in search of the power box, Kaname goes over to the form, intent on examining it.

"This is no Alastor or AS, that's for certain. Instead, it's a machine that looks like a human being. Android or cyborg? Which one are you, buddy?" Upon seeing Sousuke come back, she asks, "Any luck?"

"Negative. It seems my parents' deaths had caused them to miss paying the electric bill." Upon seeing Kaname's eye-rolling at his morbid pun, he goes on. "The power's shut off. We'll have to use Roadwolf to power it back up. You find anything out?"

"Yeah. This is no AS. It's a machine that looks like a human being. Either an android or a cyborg. I'm thinking the former."

"Agreed. Fun part's going to be getting this guy out of here. We don't even have a handtruck in Roadwolf."

"What about the jumper cables? We can connect them to the house and give this thing a good jolt."

"It's worth a try. Or, we can connect the cables directly to it via makeshift attachment and do it that way."

"That'll work. I think."

"Okay. Let's do this."

Within fifteen minutes, the young couple have connected the machine to Roadwolf and Sousuke's revving the engine, waiting for Kaname's signal. Sure enough, he gets it.

"Hit it, Sousuke!"

Sousuke flips the power transmission switch and sends the power right into the machine's power cell, reactivating it's computer. Kaname sees the machine stirring and goes to the door.

"It's active, Sousuke!" Turning around, she sees the machine looking around. "How are you feeling?"

"Well recharged, thank you. How long have I been here?"

"Judging from the amount of dust on you, I'd say you've been in my husband's home for five years."

"Five years?" At her nod, the machine softly says, "Dad's going to kill me."

"I'm sure he'd pardon you for it." The machine turns and sees a young man standing with a young blue-haired woman. What gets it's attention the most is the scar on the left cheek of the man's face. "After all, if your computer shut down due to lack of power, I'm sure he'd understand."

"Yeah, that sounds logical. I'm Chip Carson."

"Nice to meet you, Chip. I'm Kaname Sagara and this is my husband, Sousuke."

"Hello." Chip suddenly blinks and turns to look at one of the pictures of the boy alone before looking at Sousuke again. "You're the boy in the picture. Where are your parents at?"

"They're dead. They died in Afghanistan when my Godfather shot and killed them. Their deaths was the reason you'd been stuck here for five years. After all, if you're dead, you can't exactly pay the electric bill."

"That sounds logical. If not a bit disconcerting. But, if the power was shut off, how'd you power me back up?"

"We used our car to jump-start you." Kaname can't help but giggle at Sousuke's blunt answering style. "It's not a problem."

"If they died, then where have you been?"

"Oh, here, there, everywhere and nowhere."

"I'm amazed you made it this far. Usually, the odds of surviving on your own at a tender age are highly remote. About one in a billion."

"I was taken in by Afghani rebels when my parents died. I was taught to become a great 'war machine'. In Kaname's words, that is." Looking around, Sousuke scowls, not recognizing very many things. "This may take me a while, Kaname. There are some things I can't recall right off the bat."

"Okay, Sousuke. Why don't you see if you can find your room while Chip and I have a chat?"

"Roger."

In another part of Osaka, in a building bearing the words 'Chidori Electronics', the President of that company is on the phone with her brother. Catching up with her family has been on her 'to-do' list for quite a while.

"Hello, Shunya. How's my eldest niece doing?"

"_Oh, Kaname's doing fine. She's on her honeymoon right now, __Zunika.__"_

Blinking incredulously, Zunika Chidori asks, "Honeymoon? Kaname got married? But, she's only eighteen years old now. Add to that she has a fiery temper. She always had one as a little girl."

"_Uh-huh, three months ago. It was her choice and I'm backing her on it. One hundred percent. Believe me, I know. I've been on the receiving end quite a few times. So has her groom. If not more often in the past."_ Shunya's laughter has Zunika smiling, yet curious at the same time.

"I see. Who's the poor sap that married her? She did marry a young man, right? I don't think I'd handle it very well if she went the other way." Shunya's amused chuckle lightens her spirit. Somewhat.

"_Don't worry. She married a young man her age. Even more, I think you'll like him, if not remember him. He's a nice enough young man. Devoted and very protective of her. But, he's also become one you don't ever want to cross. In some ways, he reminds me of you when we were kids."_

"Oh, hush, Shunya. I wasn't that bad, was I? Big brother?"

"_No comment, little sister."_ Shunya's reply has Zunika giggling lightly.

"What does he do? Is he gainfully employed at least?"

"_He is. In a manner of speaking, of course."_

Irritated, Zunika asks, "What is that supposed to mean, Shunya? Either he is or he isn't."

"_It's a job I can't really discuss, __Zunika.__ All that matters is he's good to Kaname and their son."_

"They have a child already?" Angrily, she asks, "You mean Kaname was impregnated by him outside of wedlock, forcing her to marry him?"

"_Yes to the first part, not exactly to the other part. It was a mutual decision. He loves her so much, just like she loves him so much. The child was just a bonus for them. He's the one that's helping both to stay together. And, they're loving it."_

"I see. Her husband's name?"

"_Break out your sake, sis. You're going to need it. Sagara. Sousuke Sagara."_

"Sagara. Sagara." Suddenly, her eyes bolt open wider in shock. "The son of Fumiko and Keiko Sagara? That Sousuke Sagara?"

"_Yep. I see you remember them."_

"Yeah. They were a nice couple. I offered Fumiko a job here before he got on the Humanitarian kick after his leaving the service and Keiko jumped on it with him." Her voice going sullen, she goes on.

"When I heard they died, I was devastated. I even thought Sousuke had died with them. Fumiko would have been a wonderful negotiator. You know I thought that Kaname and Sousuke belonged together since birth, right?" Once again, Shunya chuckles before giving his reply.

"_All too well, Zunika. In fact, you know Fumiko and Keiko thought it was a good idea to betroth them. Just like the olden days when two families would unite into one. I guess your wish came true, Zunika. Sousuke turned out rather well. In fact, when I heard his name from Kaname's mouth, I had to play ignorant. I didn't want to blow her mind with something like this."_ This time, it's Zunika's turn to laugh.

"Yeah. Kaname would never have forgiven you for giving Sousuke her hand in marriage at such a young age." The two siblings share a laugh until Zunika gets an idea. "Wait a sec, Shunya. You think Sousuke would be interested in the position of Head Negotiator? He'd be getting a sizable salary. Plenty to support Kaname and the baby with." Next thing she knows, Shunya's chuckling nervously. "Shunya?"

"_There's something you should know right off the bat, Zunika. Sousuke's definition of 'negotiation' is currently far more different than what yours is. It has been since he was a child."_

Disgusted, she says, "Let me guess. He's become one of those 'rational', soft-hearted types. The Sousuke I recall was very assertive, if not borderline aggressive. He was even that way with being near Kaname when those two were together. I shudder to think he's become soft and passive."

"_Nah. His style is a little more aggressive than that."_

Her interest peaked, she then asks, "Blackmail aggressive or lawsuit aggressive?"

"_Try hostile, two-bullets-in-the-head aggressive."_ Zunika's face goes deathly pale and she drops the phone's handset onto the floor. _"Zunika? You okay?"_ Her hands shaking, Zunika picks the phone back up and gulps.

"Shunya, I know you have a sense of humor, but that's not even funny. You mean to tell me that Kaname's married to a psychopath? One that she's known since they were in diapers has become a psycho?"

"_Nope. More like she's married to someone that takes out the psychopaths. In a way, it allows me to sleep at night. At the same time, though, I can't help but wonder if she'll sleep at night as well."_

"You mean you accept his occupation? And she accepts it as well? That kind of thing can't be good for her." Sighing, she goes on. "There may be time yet."

"_Time for what, Zunika?"_

"To get the marriage annulled. She takes sole custody of the child and denies him visitation rights. Along with getting a restraining order against him. Will you help me on that?"

"_Zunika, I'm only going to say this once. Do not get in their way to happiness. This goes far beyond your rose-colored view of the world around you. He won't let anything happen to her or their son. If anything, it's helped him mature a little more. After all, he's been a fighter since he was a little boy. He had no choice in the matter at all." _

"Mature? Mature? A guy that kills people that happen to be psychotics can't be good for Kaname's health! And he's been doing it since he was a child? If anything, he's putting her and my grand-nephew in danger!"

"_I mean it, Zunika. Hands off on this. It's for the best, my younger sister. She's much safer with him than any other guy. You know that as well as I do."_ With that, the phone hangs up and Zunika hangs her handset as well.

"All too well. But, that style is far too aggressive. Well, then. If you want something done, do it on the sly." Hitting her intercom, she says, "Takio-san, I need you in my office." Two minutes later, there's a knock on her office door. "Come in." When the door opens, a heavily-muscular man enters the woman's office and bows to her.

"How can I be of service to you, Miss Chidori?"

"I assume you remember my eldest niece, Kaname."

"Hai. I do."

"Well, I want you to find out everything you can on the young man Kaname has married."

"Basic summary or entire profile?"

"It doesn't really matter. I intend to prove to my dear brother that Kaname's made a dreadful mistake."

"Yes, Miss Chidori. What would the name of the young man be?"

"Sousuke Sagara. The son of Fumiko and Keiko Sagara."

"Hai." With that, the former weightlifter/bodyguard bows and exits her office.

Meanwhile, back at the Sagara house, Chip's computer has recovered enough to allow the android to move around. Chip opens his chest access to perform diagnostics on his computer, allowing Kaname to get a look inside. Needless to say, Kaname is highly impressed with the technology within the mechanical being. As she peers intently into the android's chest cavity, she shakes her head.

"I've heard about them, but I've never seen dyna-kinetic logic circuits. Along with a 3.5 floppy drive built right in. And an emotion-simulating chip. I gotta bow to your creator when I see him, Chip. He did an amazing job on you. This is state-of-the-art. Twenty years ago."

"Thank you, Kaname. So, what brings you guys here anyway?"

"It was just an impulse on Sousuke's part. We were on our way to the Onken resort for our honeymoon when Sousuke got the sudden urge to come back to Osaka. When we're done here, I figure we'll resume our drive there in Roadwolf."

"Roadwolf?"

"Yep. Sousuke figured he'd hang a nickname on it. So, he chose Roadwolf. In a way, it really fits. 'Wolf of the road'."

"That's pretty catchy." Frowning slightly, he adds, "If this is his family's home, why doesn't he recall very much?"

"Sousuke hasn't set foot inside this house in years, Chip. It was the urge that brought us here. A whim of sorts."

"Oh, like a hunch?"

"Something like that. Only it's more like curiosity. We have pictures of Sousuke as he was growing up, courtesy of his Grandmother, but they ended at eight years old. That was when his parents died."

"I see. How long have you known Sousuke now?"

"Two wonderful, antic-filled years."

"Antic? That doesn't compute."

"I'll put it to you like this. If you're an enemy, make sure your insurance is paid up. In your case, you may want to take out an insurance policy with Tokyo Electronics. Same if you're a friend of his. But, here's how he treats his friends. He may treat them roughly, but at least they'd be alive. If not in traction. Special friends he doesn't hurt at all. If anything, he'll fight for tooth, nail and everything else in order to protect. Interestingly enough, he fights his enemies tooth, nail and everything else."

The android visibly gulps and says, "I think I'll stay on Sousuke's special friends list if that'll be all right with you. If he treats his enemies like that, I don't think Tokyo Electronics would want to pay out my insurance policy if I was his enemy."

"That's an excellent suggestion." Both turn at Sousuke's voice and see that he's carrying an unopened model kit. "I found my room and this was the first thing I saw. I thought I picked up the desire and skill to assemble models my last few weeks in high school. It seems I've always had it. The room's completely filled with assembled models. It seems I've also won first place several times when it came to contests."

Kaname's face beams with a smile as she says, "That's wonderful, honey. Are you recalling anything yet, Sous-kun?"

"Affirmative, Kana-kun. However, it's only partially. This was one of the presents I got for my eighth birthday. Just before we went to Afghanistan. Where Mom and Dad died." Shaking his head, he adds, "I'm not even sure I should open it or not. It's one of the last things my folks gave to me before they died."

"Something that precious, it's better to leave alone. Maybe you can pass it on to your son, Mr Sagara. Should you have any." Much to Chip's surprise, the young couple starts chuckling. "Was it something I said?"

"We have a son, Chip. He's named after Sousuke here. He's a few months old, but he's going to be a heartbreaker when he gets old enough."

"How will he break a human heart? Compressing it with his hands?"

"Okay. Let me rephrase that. It seems you're very literal-minded. In other words, the ladies will be swarming all over him and he can only choose one special lady to fill his life. Leaving a trail of broken hearts." Looking toward Sousuke, she adds, "Just like his Daddy."

"Oh. I get it now. They'll be so sad about not having been selected, they'll compress their own hearts."

Rolling her eyes in disgusted amusement, Kaname says, "I think your programming needs something of an update, Chip. As soon as possible. Come on. We gotta see about getting hold of your family. Do you have any way to contact them?"

"Yes. I tried while you were examining my chest cavity, but no one answered. In fact, it seems the number was disconnected." Remembering his chest cavity is still open, he has it close itself. "You may have to do a search, as my circuitry is greatly outdated. More than likely, I'd be incompatible with today's technology. Thus preventing interface."

Nodding, Sousuke replies, "Of course. Not a problem." With that, the three exit the house, with Kaname carrying the model kit and Sousuke closing the door. When Chip sees the car, he grimaces.

"We may have a problem here. I weigh four hundred and fifty pounds. I don't think your car's chassis and suspension will be able to support my weight."

"We'll have to chance it, Chip. This neighborhood has been deserted for a decade now. Besides, we're doing a shakedown drive of sorts on the car. If there's one thing I can safely say about Sousuke, it's that he will push the envelope to the extremes. Even more, this is not exactly your standard car."

"Okay." Once Chip is inside the car, his computer detects a flurry of electronic activity deep within the car. "I'm detecting large amounts of computing power coming from within. Is the whole car a computer?"

Smirking, Kaname replies, "More like a computer-assisted mobile weapons platform, Chip." That has Chip's eyes going wide in shock.

"Weapons? What kind?"

"Military-grade weapons. Sousuke, contact Tessa. She can get the ball rolling on this."

"Roger." Activating the console, he says, "Roadwolf to Merida Island. Do you read? Over." Right away, Chip can see a man with a goatee and neatly trimmed beard. Immediately, Chip can tell that the man can handle himself. Even at his age. Much like the other two people in the car with him.

"_This is Merida Island, Lieutenant. Is there situation you're reporting?"_

"Affirmative, Lieutenant Commander. On a whim, Kaname and I came to my family's home. When we got inside, we found an android. It needs to contact it's creator."

"_I see. Is android active?"_

With that, Chip speaks up. "I am, sir."

"_Your creator's name?"_

"Dr Jonas Carson, Lieutenant Commander."

"_Very well. Wait one please."_ Sure enough, a minute is all that is required. However, the news isn't good. _"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Your creator was killed in traffic accident three years ago. He was in cab, on his way to airport for technological conference there in Japan. Cab was hit by hit-and-run truck driver in Seattle WA. To date, driver has not been found yet."_ His computer reeling with the input, Chip leans forward. Tentatively.

"What about my sister, Becky Carson?"

"_She's married and living in District of Columbia right now. Her name is now Becky Carson-Morganson. I can try contacting her if you like."_

"Yes, please." The man nods and Chip sinks back into the seat, grimacing. "I hope she didn't forget about me." A minute later, the man's voice comes back.

"_I have your party on line. Good luck."_ With that, the man's visage winks off and a young woman's voice comes on.

"_Chip? Is that really you?"_

"Becky!" Eagerly, Chip leans forward again and smiles happily. "I missed you!"

"_Oh, I missed you too, Chip. When this Russian-sounding guy called me, he said he had seen my brother. I told him I didn't have a brother and he added my android brother. Oh Chip, where are you?"_

"I'm in Osaka Japan, Becky. I was dormant for five years until this young couple with me found me and powered me back up."

"_You mean they know?"_

"Affirmative, Ms Carson-Morganson."

"_Who the heck is this?"_

"Sousuke Sagara, ma'am. My wife and I found your brother inside my family's home. It looks like he had powered down while trying to recharge. Explaining his five-year dormancy."

"_Oh, Chip. Dad was so heartbroken when he didn't hear from you. He was afraid you had been destroyed or even stolen. You know that Vogel is out there somewhere still. Even more, Berrigan's out of prison."_

"I know, Becky. As for Berrigan, when did he get out?"

"_A year after you powered down, Chip. Once he left the prison, he simply vanished."_

Pausing, he then asks the hardest question possible. "When Dad died, did he suffer?"

"_No. The truck smashed right into his side of the cab. He died quickly, so he didn't suffer."_ Sniffles can be heard as she says, _"It's so good to hear your voice again, Chip. I can be heading there on the next available flight to bring you home. Think you can stay out of trouble with Mr and Mrs Sagara?"_

"I'll do what I can, Becky."

"_Well, I guess that's as good an answer I'll get. Mr Sagara, I'm trusting you to keep my brother safe. He's very trusting. Perhaps a little too trusting at times for his own good. Oh, and watch what you say around him. He's very literal minded. I should know."_

"Roger. That we've already assessed, Ms Carson-Morganson." At that, Becky gives a softly fond laugh as communication ends and Sousuke turns back toward the android. "Well, you heard your sister. Looks like you're stuck with us until she can get you back home."

"Yeah. Well, we can always play cards until she arrives. I'm a good card player."

"I'm sure Kaname would enjoy that. She's a cardsharp herself."

"Oh sure. Something tells me he'll clean me out in mere seconds, Sousuke." Kaname can't help but giggle at the same time though. Suddenly, she remembers something. "I have family that lives here, Sousuke. An Aunt. Let's go so you can meet her. I've got to catch up with her anyway." Sousuke nods as he starts Roadwolf's engine.

"Roger. Cross your fingers, guys. This is the first time a heavily-loaded car's chassis and suspension is being pushed past reasonable limits. I'll have to use the turbos to compensate for the additional weight."

"Turbos?" Before Chip can get an answer, the car lurches away from the curb, it's body drastically low to the pavement. So low, sparks fly out from behind. As the car moves through the traffic, Chip notices the comic and brings it out. "This car kinda looks like the one on the comic book." Kaname looks back and grins.

"Go ahead and take a look see, Chip. Just remember that car is not the same as this one is. Besides, the plot's fairly anemic." Five minutes later, they arrive at Chidori Electronics Corporation. With sparks still flying behind Roadwolf. The sparks stop flying once the car comes to a complete stop, allowing them to examine the twenty-story building.

Blinking his steel-grey eyes, Sousuke asks, "You mean your Aunt owns this building?"

"Yep. Eat your heart out, Sousuke." Giving Sousuke a soft smirk, she exits Roadwolf, allowing Chip to exit the car. Once he does, the car's body lifts back up.

Turning back around, Chip smirks and says, "Yep. Eat your heart out, Sousuke."

Once Kaname's closed the door, she can hear Sousuke laughing through the armored glass, clearly enjoying himself. When he joins them, he softly takes Kaname's hand into his and sneaks a quick peck as they near the front desk.

"I'm Kaname Chidori-Sagara. This is my husband, Sousuke. With us is Chip Carson. We're here to see my Aunt Zunika so I can bring her up to speed on my life to date." Presenting her identification, she adds, "It's been a while since I last saw her."

The guard smiles, bows and replies, "I see. Welcome to Chidori Electronics, ma'am, gentlemen. Shall I announce your arrival here, Mrs Sagara?"

"Nope. I'm surprising my Aunt today."

"Very good, ma'am. Your Aunt's office is on the tenth floor, number 1007."

"Thank you." With that, the three go to the elevator and wait for the car.

Thanks to current safety standards, all three are able to get on, given the maximum weight allowed is 5,000 lbs. Allowing for a nonstop, albeit sluggish, ride to the tenth floor.

As the car rises, Chip looks over at Kaname and remarks, "You're right, you know. The plot was rather anemic. Yet, the artwork was pretty good."

"Yep."

Back in the executive wing of Chidori Electronics, Takio returns to Zunika's office and bows. "I have obtained all the information I could find on your niece's husband, Miss Chidori. However, I'm afraid it only goes back two years."

'Huh. I wonder where he's been all this time then. I'm amazed he's even still alive. Takio doesn't even know that I knew Sousuke's parents. I must keep it that way.' Verbally, she nods and says, "Okay, start reading."

"Hai. This is his transcript for entering Jindai High School. He virtually appeared out of nowhere and was immediately assigned to Kaname's class. However, according to the teacher's notation, his first day at school got off to a very bizarre start."

"How bizarre? He show up naked?" The question has both of them laughing softly in amusement. In her mind, she thinks, 'Oh, Fumiko and Keiko will probably be laughing as well. He did run naked along the beach during our trip to Okinawa! With Kaname running naked right beside him, no less! At only three years old!'

"Nope. Instead, he showed up with a live gun on the grounds. A Steyr SPP, fully-automatic, 9mm. It was confiscated and put into storage by the teacher."

Gulping, Zunika asks, "He had a gun? But, he's only a teen. A baby."

"That's not all, ma'am. Not only did he have a gun, he also introduced himself as a Sergeant before amending himself. He went into the girl's locker room, claiming to want to join the softball team. The young man had no idea it was the girl's softball team that he'd wanted to join." Upon hearing her chuckle in amusement, he chuckles as he goes on.

"As a result, he was beaten and handcuffed to a folding chair. The next day, he tackled the teacher, sending them both down a flight of stairs. After he had destroyed a plaster bust that your niece had made. Once again, he was armed with a gun. A Glock 17, semi-automatic, 9mm."

'Fumiko, Keiko, why weren't you around for him? If you'd been around for him, maybe he wouldn't be using or even carrying guns.' Shaking her head, Zunika asks, "Geez. What's with this guy and guns? Doesn't he realize they're illegal here in Japan?"

"It doesn't seem to stop him, ma'am. Even more, any time he'd pull such a thing, Jindai High would be given significant funds to simply look the other way and keep him enrolled. He was appointed garbage chief for the school trip. However, it took a bad turn and appeared."

"How bad was it?" The question was both verbal and mental.

"When the class trip to Okinawa was hijacked, Sousuke had vanished from the plane. Several days later, he had returned to be at Kaname's side. Calling himself her 'Insurance' and saying he'd be there for a while. She was in the Hospital in Tokyo when an anonymous caller informed Jindai High of her location."

Quietly, she remarks, "Strange Why would he call himself her 'Insurance'? It makes no sense at all." Her eyes going wide, she audibly asks, "Was Kaname a target or something?"

"Unknown, ma'am. However, she was removed from the flight by one of the terrorists for the purpose of a video recording."

"Okay. That's a strange coincidence. What about afterward?"

"Let's see. Shoe locker detonations, use of weapons against students, trapping students during class sessions, using hand-to-hand combat tactics against students, wanton and random property destruction, laying of land mines, setting booby traps, brutal and often harsh interrogations against fellow students. Along with students from other schools. The list goes on and on. In short, he was the class military otaku. He'd often go to extremes, causing them to wonder if he was truly insane." The words has his boss' eyes go wide in horror.

'He's civilization's worst nightmare! Far worse than Godzilla could ever hope to be!' Shaking her head, she says, "Please tell me you're joking, adding something that's not really there."

"I would if I could, Miss Chidori. But I can't. This is the truth. He's responsible for everything that's happened at Jindai High. He even retrained Jindai High's pacifist rugby team. And when I say pacifist, I mean pacifist."

'I don't even want to know, but I am curious as to how he did with that endevour.' Timidly, she says, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but I should. What was the end result of that?"

"Massive amounts of injuries to Garasuyama High's rugby team players. Including one broken jaw, courtesy of Mr Sagara's right foot to the team captain's jaw. The other players on the Jindai squad did the other injuries. From black eyes to broken bones. In short, they were barbaric to the competing team. No mercy was shown whatsoever. Fortunately enough, there were no fatalities." Looking up from the paper, he sees that Zunika's face is very pale.

Inwardly, she's laughing her head off. 'Garasuyama had always been brutal to their opponents. It's about time one of them got some guts. Thanks to Sousuke.' Frowning, she asks, "They allowed him to stay enrolled? After he made the team into bloodthirsty savages?" At his nod, she then asks, "Did he ever do anything nice or not so violent?"

"Not that I could tell. Even more, there was the Full Monty Bacteria incident."

'WTF?' Blinking, she asks, "That was him as well?" At his nod, Zunika can only shake her head. "If he's so good for Kaname, why are there so many strikes against him?" 'Duh, because they looked cute together. Why else?' Shaking her head, she says, "Okay. Let's skip ahead a bit. Starting from the time he and Kaname fell in love with each other."

"Hai. They went on a trip together for the summer so he could meet with your brother and younger niece. He found out he has a cousin, named Luke, two days later. Said cousin was abducted by the Sho-Da-Kah and was rescued by Team Hawk."

'Ah, Luke. His folks were nice people as well. I guess all Sagaras are nice. Then again, I didn't meet many Sagaras.' Curious, Zunika can't help but ask, "Is Luke as bad as Sousuke is?"

"It doesn't appear so, ma'am. Even more, Luke has recently married a Detroit Michigan Police Officer, named Elizabeth Davis. There's even a current photograph of the couples together in Okinawa. You won't like what you're about to see, ma'am."

Upon seeing her jaw drop in shock, he nods and says, "That's right, ma'am. Mr Sagara used a gun to shoot and kill a shark named 'Old Fujikai' in Okinawa while diving. Even more, Kaname seems to be quite taken with him. Judging from that kiss on his scar."

'He's certainly turned out well. But, how'd he get that horrendous scar on his face? The poor dear.' Putting the picture down, she says, "So I see. What else?"

"His Godfather, Hangi Oshimura, has recently died in a freak explosion at his estate. His body was found in pieces. Also found were pieces of man-sized robots on the grounds."

'Huh. Never liked that jerk-off. He was always trying something to get me to sleep with him. Good riddance!' Hating to do so, she lies anyway. "Hmm, the more I find out about Sousuke, the more I dislike him. Did he graduate from high school at least?"

"Yes ma'am. In fact, he even did it with some kind of style. Style that no one would ever dare to duplicate." That gets a snort out of Zunika.

'This I gotta hear!' Waving her hand, she asks, "What'd he do? Set off a bomb?"

"Nope." At her relieved sigh, he goes on. "He had arranged for the U.S. Army's Howitzers to fire blank rounds at the graduation. To the tune of the '1812 Symphony', no less. He's certainly got style. That's for sure."

'Style nothing! That's a beautiful work of art he did! Hahahaha!' Starting to tremble from laughing internally now, she asks, "Anything else?"

"Hai. Three months prior, there was a hostage situation at the Tokyo Museum. During the crisis, Kaname had gone into labor. It's believed she had ended the life of one of the terrorists. According to the reports of the hostages, Sousuke had done most of the work, with a fellow student. A young man named Masatami Hyuga helping him. Of all the terrorists, only one survived by surrendering. Even more, that man was an innocent, thus sparing him from the fate shared by the others."

'You go, boys! And girl!' Giving a seemingly nervous shake, she asks, "What are you saying, Takio? That this nut is some kind of commando? He's just a baby, for crying out loud."

"I agree with you on that, ma'am. I'm not sure off-hand if he is a commando or not. But, if you think about it, there has to be a reason."

'I agree. And I intend to find out just how badly poor Sousuke's life got screwed up.' Nodding, Zunika then says, "Okay. Have Seijo bring Kaname, Sousuke and whoever else would be with them around for tea. I have a few questions for my niece and her beau. Their answers had better be to my liking."

"Yes ma'am. Fun part's going to be finding them."

"Oh, how true that is. Tea?"

"Sure. Thanks." Suddenly, the intercom chimes. "Now what?"

"That's a good question, Takio-san." Hitting the button, she asks, "Yes, Haruka-chan?"

"_Miss Chidori, there is a young couple here to see you. They're accompanied by a young man__. A very handsome one at that.__"_

"Okay. You get a name?"

"_Hai. Mr and Mrs Sousuke Sagara. The man__'s__ name is Chip Carson." _ The response has their eyes go up in interest.

'They came to see me? Oh, I can hardly wait to see them!' Pressing the button, Zunika replies, "Send them in please, Haruka-chan. Along with Mr Carson. Oh, if there are any calls, just take a message as I'll be too busy speaking with them."

"_Hai."_

With that, the office door opens and in walks three people. One of which is very familiar to Zunika. She gushes as she gets up and walks over.

"Oh, Kaname. You look simply wonderful, my dear. So radiant. You bloomed rather well." Wrapping her niece in a hug, Zunika gets a glimpse of Sousuke. "I see you brought your husband with you. But, where's your little boy at?" Smirking inwardly, she mentally adds, 'They look very good together. Now if only I could see my grand-nephew in his parents' arms!'

"Likewise, Aunt Zunika. Indeed I have. This is my husband, Sousuke and this is our new friend, Chip Carson. We're keeping an eye on him until his sister can come get him. As for Sousuke Jr, he's staying with Kyoko and Sousuke's foster family." Blinking, she asks, "How'd you know about me having a baby anyway?"

'Can't let her know about my talk with Shunya just yet!' Zunika avoids the question as she asks, "Oh? How long have you been here in Japan, Carson-san?"

"According to my internal data index, and from what Kaname and Sousuke told me, I've been here for a little over five years."

'Internal data index? Interesting.' Shaking her head, she replies, "You have a very interesting way of putting things, Carson-san. Why have you been here for so long a time? Surely your family's worried about you by now."

"They are. Becky's on her way to check on my general condition overall. As for why, I kinda shut down and slept for a while. Then, I was jolted awake."

'Shut down and jolted awake? No way! Could he be? Nah, impossible!' Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Zunika says, "Hmm, yes, yes. I can see how that could happen. So, Sousuke, I have some questions for you and you're not going anywhere until they're answered." 'And they will be answered!'

"Roger." With that, Sousuke adds a salute.

'Not half bad! Like Shunya and Fumiko!' Grinning in amusement, she says, "Okay, first off, drop the salute. You're not in the military. Neither am I."

"Roger." Kaname sees his present position and giggles as she whispers into his ear. "Understood." Snapping himself to 'Parade Rest', he looks ahead intently.

'Geez, this poor guy's gone hardcore to the bone!' Clearing her throat, Zunika asks, "Have you always been this way, Sagara-san?"

"I started being this way at eight years old, ma'am."

'Just at the time his parents died. Oh, Sousuke, you poor thing! What happened to you?' Giving him a nod, she says, "I see. I know this may seem like an impertinent question, but, indulge me. How'd you survive in the Afghani desert?"

"I was taken in by the Afghani rebels after Hangi Oshimura killed my parents, ma'am."

'That bastard! Keiko was right in not trusting him to be near Sousuke! But, why'd he kill them?' Giving him another nod, she replies, "I see. I'll get back to Mr Oshimura later on. And the scar on your left cheek?"

"An Afghani rebel leader dragged his knife across my cheek in an x-shaped manner. The resultant wound never healed. As such, it's become part of me. It's not a problem, ma'am. Even more, Kaname likes it."

'So do I. It makes you look like a bad-ass!' Smiling warmly at Sousuke, she says, "Please, we're family now. No need to be so formal. Just call me Auntie Zunika, Sousuke."

"Roger, Auntie Zunika."

'Oh boy. If I had the capability to do so, I'd say his heart rate is still steady. I'll have to increase the intensity of the questions. Hopefully, he'll not crack yet! I want to see just how strong he really is!' Still smiling, she then asks, "How'd you come to have feelings for my eldest niece here?"

"I used a round of Russian Roulette, aiming my .38 caliber snub-nosed revolver at the wall in my old apartment, Auntie Zunika."

'WTF?' Blinking, she asks, "Russian Roulette? And what did you use, Kaname. Duck, Duck, Kaboom?" The last part had been asked in sarcastic jest.

"Nope. I just picked petals off of a flower." Frowning, Kaname asks, "Why would you ask me about a game like Duck, Duck, Kaboom?"

'Uh-oh! Better cover!' Looking over at Takio, she replies, "Well, I had Takio here do a search on your husband here. I talked with your Father and he told me about Sousuke's unique way of doing negotiations." Smirking inwardly, she mentally adds, 'Unique being an understatement!'

"I see. So Dad must have told you about me giving birth to Sousuke Jr. How much did Dad tell you?"

'Play it cool, Zunika. She can't know yet!' Zunika shrugs and replies, "Just for me to leave it be. But, you know me, Kaname. I always want to know about who's entering my family and why."

'Here comes another lie. He's perfect, no matter what I say about him!' Scowling at Sousuke, she adds, "I do not approve of him at all, Kaname. He strikes me as disrespectful, dangerous, unattractive and just plain nuts. I order you to get the marriage annulled, seek sole custody of your child and get a restraining order on him. He's not good enough for you."

"Like that'll ever happen." Kaname caresses Sousuke's arm as she goes on. "There are some things you're better off not knowing about, Aunt Zunika. Yeah, Sousuke may be of the dangerous kind, but he's good to me and Sousuke Jr. That's good enough for me."

'Oh? This has got me curious now!' Angrily, she says, "Kaname Chidori, I suggest you do as I say!"

"Negative! Without Sousuke nearby, I'm as good as dead! That's all I can safely tell you!"

'Dead? WTF?' Holding her hands out, she asks, "What is so important about him? He's a nobody!" Snarling as she points at him, she asks, "Did he threaten you?"

Next thing Zunika knows, Kaname screams, "Are you on drugs, Aunt Zunika? He's my protector, for crying out loud!" That has Zunika gaping in shock.

'Her protector? Oh, Kaname. What happened to you?' Sitting back down, having risen to yell at Kaname, she softly asks, "Your protector?"

"Yeah, that's right, Aunt Zunika. He's my protector and the love of my life. He was sent by an organization of mercenaries to ensure I don't fall into the clutches of men of evil. Men that want to do terrible things for no good reason at all. To me and the world at large. Without Sousuke having been at my side, watching over me, I'd be dead already."

'He's become a merc? Oh, you poor thing! Your life got so terribly fouled up. Don't worry, baby. Auntie Zunika's here.' Visibly shaking, Zunika asks, "Sousuke, can you verify the statement?"

"Affirmative. I am Lieutenant Sousuke Sagara, of Mithril's West Pacific Ocean Fleet Tactical Division's Special Response Team. My call sign is Urzu 7. For the past two years, I've been assigned by my Superiors to guard Kaname. No matter what the cost."

Snorting in amusement, Takio asks, "Mithril? Sounds like a street gang. A fairly cheesy one at that. If Mithril's so special, why haven't I heard about it?"

"We're a shadow organization of mercenaries not aligned with any official government. We sort out regional conflicts, guard nuclear shipments and shut down terrorist training camps and narcotics facilities. We also protect people with unique talents. Kaname is one such person. That's all you're allowed to know at this point in time." Turning to Chip, he says, "What you heard never leaves this room, Chip. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." To emphasize, Chip throws in a salute, just like the one Sousuke had done.

Sousuke nods and says, "Good. Any other questions, ma'am?"

'I'd like to know more about Mithril, but that can wait. I must find out about Oshimura! I think I already know how he died, though.' Nodding, she replies, "Yes. Just one. Hangi Oshimura. Did you kill him?"

"Affirmative. I broke his neck with my bare hands, ma'am. I later demoed the body and compound to ensure that none of his notes can be found and duplicated."

Along the drive, he had elected to leave out where Hangi had come back to life, causing Sousuke to use the nitro-enhanced .44 magnum rounds. He found the idea both absurd and too macabre for her to digest.

'Damn! He's not the kind of guy you'd ever want to piss off! Not now or ever!' Giving her voice a tremor, she asks, "Why, may I ask?"

"He betrayed my parents, killed them and sought to experiment on our son, ma'am. He even wanted to experiment on me when I was born."

'So he's really the one that killed Sousuke's parents. The Soviets took the heat for that asshole! I never liked that bastard!' Nodding, she says, "I see. Wait. He wanted to experiment on you?" 

"Affirmative. He was doing unethical research for the purpose of becoming immortal. His methods were what were unethical as he was wanting to use innocent children for his experiments."

'No wonder Keiko didn't trust him to be near Sousuke alone!' Visibly shaking now, Zunika goes on. "Seeing as I've read your file, are you armed? If so, I'd like to see what you have. Every single bit of hardware. Both personal and 'Mithril-issued'. If any at all."

"Roger."

With that, Sousuke begins disarming himself. Starting with his Glock and grenades, with the weapons still coming out and going into a pile. While they watch, Zunika and Takio's faces slowly go pale in horror with the sight of the growing pile. Kaname stifles a snicker and Chip merely watches fascinated.

When the disarm is completed, a massive pile is in the room, with an AT-4 rocket launcher in the pile. Along with a classic M60 machine gun, a current-issue M249 SAW, M-16A2 rifle with M-203 grenade launcher attached, M79 'Bloop Gun' grenade launcher, stun guns, various handguns and land mines.

Sousuke then says, "There, I've complied with your request, ma'am."

'WTF? He's a walking armory! How'd he do that? At this rate, I'm going to be the one to crack up!' Restoring her will, Zunika softly says, "I don't get it." Slowly lifting her head to face Sousuke, tears of fear and mirth mixed streaming down her face, Zunika asks, "Where in the world did you fit all that?"

Chip nods eagerly as he adds, "I've never seen a pile like that before. Are you a magician of some kind?" Much to his surprise, Kaname softly giggles at his question.

"Not exactly, Chip. You see, Sousuke is a master at weapon concealment. He did the same thing in Sengawa when a street gang took me hostage. The look on those thugs' faces was priceless. The leader was even shocked to see the rocket launcher in the pile."

Gulping nervously, Takio asks, "Did she just say rocket launcher?"

"She did." In Kaname's voice, Chip then says, "'The look on those thugs' faces was priceless. The leader was even shocked to see the rocket launcher in the pile'." Before Zunika can ask Chip about Kaname's voice coming out of his mouth, Sousuke's communicator chimes.

"Sagara."

"_Lieutenant, there's a hostage situation in Osaka. A small eatery named 'Paradise'. Possibility of Sho-Da-Kah involvement. Lethal force is at your discretion."_

"Roger, Madam Captain. Urzu 7 en route." Looking toward Zunika, Sousuke asks, "How do I get to the 'Paradise' eatery from here?"

'Is something happening that requires his presence there?' Pointing toward the city, she replies, "It's just down the block from here. Why?" It's too late, Sousuke's already grabbed three of his weapons and is on the move. Turning to Kaname, she asks, "Where's he going?"

"He's going to work." Quickly amending herself, she adds, "No, it's not work. It's Justice."

'Justice? Now I really want to know about Mithril! But, first.' Mock incredulously, Zunika looks over at Takio and sees the man had fainted after hearing Kaname's voice from Chip's mouth. She had been about to instruct the man to go with him. But upon seeing him on the floor, she decides otherwise. But, still...

"One boy against who knows what? He'll get killed like that!"

"Nope. You see, Aunt Zunika, Sousuke's a living weapon. He can take care of himself. He's been a fighter since he was only a little child."

'A living weapon. I don't know whether to be relieved, worried or amused at the thought of what's going on.' Nodding, she replies, "Okay. I'll grant you that much. But, why'd they take over 'Paradise'? That eatery is my favorite. I hope he doesn't destroy it."

"How do you mean?"

'They have mousse to die for as a dessert!' Shrugging, she replies, "I like to eat out there whenever I feel like treating myself." Turning on the television, she says, "Let's see how good he really is." On the screen, a reporter is right outside the 'Paradise' eatery, ducked down behind a pickup.

"_This is Yoshi __Nornoi__ with Osaka News. Fifteen minutes ago, five armed men stormed into 'Paradise' and took hostages. So far, no fatalities and Police are frantically trying to negotiate a satisfactory end to this incident. Wait. I see a patron coming up to the entrance from the inside now."_

The camera pans over to see a man nearing the eatery's entrance. Just before being riddled with bullets from behind and falling to the floor. Dead. Panning back over to the reporter, the reporter is visibly trying to keep his lunch down.

'Oh, I hope he makes it through this.' Keeping up the act, she asks, "You see, Kaname? He doesn't stand a chance at all. He'll either end up dead or puking his guts out."

"You'll see, Aunt Zunika. Sousuke won't let anyone else innocent die. Not if he can do anything about it. He always goes out of his way to protect the innocent, the helpless and the powerless. Those five men are toast. They just don't know it yet."

Unknown to Kaname, Zunika starts beaming with inner pride. Knowing that Sousuke's on the right side of the line is enough for her. Add to that the love of her niece and grand-nephew.

With that, both women think, 'Go get 'em, Sousuke!'

As he nears the eatery, Sousuke sees a group of Police Officers facing the eatery. One of them turns around, sees him and scowls as he approaches.

"Back off, sonny. We have no need of heroes today."

"I'm not here to be a hero. I'm here to assist. Sit-rep?"

"Okay. If you're that eager to die, I'll give you a sit-rep. They just killed one guy, using an AK-47. Fifteen hostages remain."

"Any of the perpetrators identified yet?"

"Nope. Now that you have a sit-rep, get lost. I'm trying to negotiate here."

"You mind if I try my hand at it? I have some experience in negotiation."

Chuckling in amusement, the Officer reaches the microphone over to Sousuke. "Okay, hotshot. Negotiate away."

"Roger." Walking toward the eatery, he finds himself being pulled back. "What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing, kiddo!"

"I'm going to negotiate. Face to face negotiations are the best approach to situations like this." Little does Sousuke realize the next few minutes are going to be caught on camera for all of Japan to see.

"Okay. Good luck to you, kid. What would you like on your tombstone?"

Shrugging casually, thinking the Officer was talking about pizza, he replies, "Just cheese and sausage."

"That's not funny!"

"I'm not joking. When I get done here, I'm going to be quite hungry." Without waiting for a retort, Sousuke goes inside, the camera following his movements.

As he watches the young man go inside, the Officer thinks, 'He's either a lunatic with a death wish or he really thinks he has a chance against them.' Shrugging, he says, "Someone get Osaka Pies on the horn. Have them prepare a cheese and sausage pizza, just in case this nut-ball pulls it off."

"You got it."

Back at Chidori Electronics, Kaname is smiling at the newly-recovered reporter's words. The man was able to avoid vomiting, barely. Even Zunika is watching intently as both women watch Sousuke infiltrate the eatery.

"_A young man has just arrived on the scene and is now in the process of infiltrating the eatery. Police refuse to identify the young man. The only thing distinguishing about him is the x-shaped scar on his left cheek. He is now inside."_ Suddenly, gunfire erupts from within. _"I don't know if you're hearing this, but a fully-automatic weapon is being fired within the eatery. Possibly, a Steyr SPP 9mm."_

The screen splits off to show a slightly-amused anchorwoman. _"And just how would you know about that kind of firepower, Yoshi?"_

"_I did some time in the service, Kunika. I know what a 9mm sounds like due to the experience."_

Back inside the eatery, Sousuke is standing over a dead terrorist, Steyr SPP in hand. The man had seen him entering and brought up his weapon to bear on him. Sousuke was quicker and drilled the man where he was standing. Suddenly, he sees another terrorist heading his way and ducks down. Just as the terrorist fires.

Feeling the urge to be haughty, he says, "Hey dick-wad. You're a lousy shot. I don't like lousy shots. You clowns wasted a civilian, for nothing. Now I think it's time to waste you and your surviving buddies."

"Come on out and show me your face! I'll kill you, just like I'll kill all these corrupt people here! It's the way of the new world! You all deserve it anyway! You're garbage!" Suddenly, the ringleader is shocked when he sees a young man, armed with a gun. Only, he starts laughing.

"The one that called me a dick-wad is a baby? Oh, this is too rich for words!" Still chuckling, he says, "Bring the cameras in here. I want the world to see this." Bringing up a pipe bomb, he adds, "Or I'll blow this place up."

Shrugging casually, Sousuke replies, "Go ahead. I don't eat here."

"You fool! Bring the cameras in here so I can talk!"

"Relax, bucko. Wanna talk, we'll talk. I'm a sucker for good conversation." Slyly slipping his left hand behind him, Sousuke brings out his combat knife from his waist sheath, keeping the remaining four terrorists in plain sight.

"I don't wanna talk to you! Bring the cameras in here!"

"Sorry. Can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I don't deal with psychos. I put them down like the dogs they are."

"I'm no psycho, man! I'm a hero! You're lookin' at a fuckin' hunter! It's the way of the new world!"

Shaking his head, Sousuke replies, "Nope. You're tumors and I'm a surgeon."

Quickly, he throws his knife into the leader's chest and fires the SPP's magazine into the remaining enemies yet to be shot. When he sees the leader aiming at him, he brings out his Glock and puts a double tap into the terrorist's forehead. When the last terrorist is dead, Sousuke looks at the huddled survivors and nods, noting the casualty rate is low.

Bringing out his communicator, he says, "This is Urzu 7. Situation resolved. One civilian dead prior to my arrival, five terrorists dead. All remaining civilians secure. No sign of Sierra-Delta-Kilo involvement. Preparing to exfil." Before Sousuke can begin exfiltration, he feels a hand on his arm and looks to see who it is.

A young girl, clutching his arm, asks him, "Who are you?"

"Me?" Keeping his organization secret and remembering a favorite movie at the same time, he replies, "I'm a member of the Zombie Squad." With that, he exfils and heads right for the waiting Officers. Hovering over a pizza box that's closed.

"My pizza ready yet?" In shock, they silently hand him the pizza. "Thank you kindly."

Back at Chidori Electronics, Kaname is laughing heartily as Zunika fakes sputtering upon seeing the images. For inwardly, she's laughing her head off as she watches Sousuke eating a pizza as he walks away from the scene as well.

The reporter then asks, _"Officer __Yonishki__, who was that young man and what was his role here today?"_

"_I have no idea as to who he was, but he did volunteer his negotiation skills. He did say he's had experience with the subject of negotiation. I had no idea it was of the lethal variety."_

"_Where did he learn to negotiate like that? Even more, we have due process here. Did they have to die like that? Everyone's entitled to protection by the law."_

"_I wonder as well. As for the protection bit."_ Officer Yonishki stops the covered gurney carrying the dead civilian, lifts the sheet and spits out, _"You try telling it to this poor guy's family. He never had a chance. That young man evened the score. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have someone to debrief and interview some hysterical witnesses."_

"_There you have it. Officer Yonishki, a highly-decorated Officer on the Osaka Police Force for fifteen years, has been shown up by a member of the next generation of Law Enforcement."_

In the background, Yonishki can be heard swearing at the young man's disappearance. With the expletives being censored out._ "What the (bleep)? He's left the (bleep) scene already?" _ The reporter is perplexed as Yonishki bellows, _"How can he have vanished so (bleep) quickly?"_

Laughing in hilarity, Kaname manages to get out, "He's a ghost. He was trained to come in, kick some tail and disappear." Suddenly, her laughter ends when she sees a young girl willing to talk to the camera.

"_He came in with a fast-firing gun, killed one of them and taunted the leader. He then threw a knife into the leader's chest, like a ninja would. He fired on the other three before blowing the leader's brains out. He brought out a cell phone and said 'Urzu 7', all was secure, no sign of something called Sierra-Delta-Kilo involvement and he was preparing to exfil. I think that was his name, but he said he's a member of the Zombie Squad." _

Perplexed, the reporter asks, _"Did you say exfil? Do you think he was a soldier?"_

"_I don't know, but if he's listening, thanks Urzu 7."_

The girl then blows an air kiss and giggles as she skips away, rejoining her Mother. Her Mother bends down and wraps her in a hug, pleased her little girl's safe and sound. The woman then comes up to add something more.

"_This is to 'Urzu 7', wherever and whoever you are. I thank you for saving my little girl's life. Along with the lives of the others you were able to save. You and your family, if you have any, will always be in my family's prayers. Go get the psychos and kill 'em, 'Urzu 7', and don't ever let up at all. Kill 'em all and let the big man upstairs sort 'em out."_

The woman nods in affirmation as she and her daughter walk away.

"_There you have it, folks. A stranger named 'Urzu 7', something called by the military phonetic alphabet and a 'Zombie Squad' member. What is the common link? This reporter would like to know as well. For Osaka News, this is Yoshi Nornoi."_

"Oh Sousuke. You're a real genius for making complications come out of the simplest things of your job." Tears of mirth rolling down her face, Kaname adds, "Even more, that girl's only ten from the looks of it! Even more, her Mother approves of your actions."

Watching intently, Chip analyzes the wording of the little girl. "Kaname, I have a question for you."

"Sure, Chip."

"What do the words Sierra-Delta-Kilo mean? Is that some kind of Mithril's code for enemy?"

"That's one way of putting it." Seeing the android's perplexed expression, Kaname goes on. "It's a way of identifying something without letting someone know they're onto them. The first letter of each word, S-D-K, is the first word for the group Team Hawk's faced off against in the past. Quite a few times."

"What's the name of the group? And, who's Team Hawk?"

"The Sho-Da-Kah. As for Team Hawk, they're a semi-law enforcement squad. Or rather, they used to be."

'Team Hawk? I've heard about them!' Feigning curiosity, Zunika asks, "Used to be?"

"Yeah, Aunt Zunika. Team Hawk was decommissioned several months back. After about four years of service, they were decommissioned. By authority of the United States Government."

'Pity. They were first class world heroes.' Nodding, she says, "I see."

Turning to Chip, Zunika then says, "I've got a question for you, Mr Carson. A little while before Sousuke left here, you spoke in Kaname's voice. How is that possible? Not even the best ventriloquist can pull off such a feat. In fact, your voice sounded like an exact duplicate of Kaname's voice. I couldn't even tell the difference unless I'm looking right at your mouth."

"I'm sorry, Miss Chidori, but I cannot reveal that information. While I'm sure you're a good person, there are some people that will stoop to incredible lows to get what they want."

'I'm partially convinced. But it's nowhere good enough to verify!' Nodding, Zunika replies, "Okay. That's fair enough. But, if you change your mind, you come talk to me. Okay?"

"Okay. Um, do you have an outlet nearby?"

'WTF? That's a partial right there.' Blinking, she asks, "Outlet? Oh, you mean bathroom. Of course. Right behind you there."

"Thank you." Giving Zunika a bow, Chip heads for the office's bathroom and locks the door. Intent on recharging his battery. In a low as possible voice, he asks, "Why is this happening now? I had just gotten a jump start at the Sagara's House. Unless, of course, one of my power cells have gone bad. I may have to confide in Miss Chidori if it doesn't improve."

Meanwhile, as he walks back to Chidori Electronics, Sousuke's form is wracked by a silent sob. Collapsing onto the sidewalk on his hands and knees, his mind swims with an image. With him in bed about to sleep, and his Mother hovering over him. A warm smile on her face as she tucked him in.

"_Mommy, what can I be when I grow up?"_

"_You can become anything you want to be, Sousuke."_

"_I wanna be like Daddy and serve in the Military."_

"_Well, it's how we met. I fell in love with a soldier. Who knows? You might meet your wife the same way, baby."_

"_Me, married? Ew, girls have cooties."_

_Keiko giggled as she pecked Sousuke on his forehead and asked, "Do I have cooties?"_

"_No. Because you're my Mommy." That caused Keiko to laugh softly at her son._

"_Even Mommy was a little girl at one time. Just like Daddy was a little boy. He probably felt the same way you did when he was your age."_

"_You mean, I'll be like you and Daddy some day? Having the same talk with my kids?"_

"_Mm-hmm. Even more, your Father and I expect grandkids to spoil rotten when you become old enough." At his wide grey eyes, Keiko looked at him with her soft grey and added, "You may be seven now, but I can tell already you'll be a good influence."_

Coming out of the memory, Sousuke wraps his arms around himself and shivers. 'I'm sorry, Mother. But, I did give you a grandkid. Too bad you can't be around to spoil him rotten.' Getting back to his feet, he resumes his walk, determined to see things through.

'Let's see, Sousuke should be back here soon. Time to ask about Mithril!' Back in the office, at the same time, Zunika shakes her head in bemusement as she looks over at her eldest niece. "That young man's nice, but he's also a bit eccentric."

"Yeah, he is. So is Chip." She then sees Zunika's glance. "What is it, Aunt Zunika?"

'I know I'm going to hate this, but I have to keep it up!' Shrugging, Zunika replies, "I'm just wondering why you chose Sousuke instead of someone that wasn't a mercenary. After all, it's bound to be difficult to sustain a relationship like that if Sousuke's gone a lot."

"I had a bit of a reputation as an idol in high school. A popular girl you wouldn't want to date or have as a girlfriend. Of course, there were some nuts that tried. But, they were all boring baka jerks. Before Sousuke came along, I was getting tired of looking. When he arrived, I felt a spark ignite inside me."

'Oh, that's so romantic. She must have had a subconscious memory of him!' Giving her niece a soft nod, she says, "I see. You were enamored with him from the start. You just didn't know it at the time. So romantic." Kaname gives her aunt a nod in reply as she goes on.

"As for difficulty, you don't even know the half of it. Him being on call whenever he's needed gives me a big feeling of fear. I worry about him at times when he's not nearby or on a mission. All alone, or with his teammates, out in the field. I feared the next mission may be the one in which he's classified as 'Out on Patrol'. If that happens, I could have very well joined him on his 'patrol'. No matter what. Without him, I wouldn't have wanted to live. But, that's in the past now."

"What's changed? He's still a mercenary."

"We have a baby now. If anything, I gotta at least live for Sousuke Jr. Just like Sousuke's doing to do his best to stay off the list of those 'Out on Patrol'."

'Why do I not like the sound of that phrase?' Blinking, she asks, "Out on Patrol? That doesn't sound so bad. Sounds like Police work of sorts."

Softly, if not nearly silently, Kaname replies, "Aunt Zunika, 'Out on Patrol' means that soldier's been KIA."

'Oh, I definitely don't like the explanation for that. Whoever said ignorance is bliss had it easy!' Anxiously, Zunika asks, "Killed In Action?" At Kaname's shaky nod, Zunika bows her head and says, "I hope you're never faced with that, Kaname. Which is why you should annul the marriage and find someone with a safer job." That, in itself, causes Kaname to roll her eyes.

"Here we go again. Aunt Zunika, I'm only going to say this once. I'm happy with Sousuke and I accept his job with Mithril. I accepted it from the moment I learned what he's capable of. Sometimes, he'd be a 'solo'. Others, he'd work with a team. Two of his teammates are like siblings to him."

'Good. At least he has friends that'll look after him while he's away from her!' Nodding, she then says, "I'd like to meet them sometime. It seems to me, however, that Sousuke's more suited to a life at war. Seeing as that's all he's seen since he was a child. Surely, there's a young man out there just like you."

"There was. But, he was one of the bad guys." Looking up at Zunika, with tears streaming down her face, Kaname goes on. "His name was Leonard Testarossa. His sister is Sousuke's superior Officer within Mithril. We all share something in common. Something you can't even begin to comprehend, let alone imagine. It's the reason why I'm targeted."

'Targeted? Is that why Sousuke's been with her?' Her eyes wide, Zunika asks, "What happened?"

"When we first met, it was after one of his assassins tried killing me. Only I got the drop on her and zapped her crazy ass with a Taser. She got up and tried to kill him, but something awful happened. She was killed by one of his Alastor bodyguards." Seeing her Aunt's puzzled blink, Kaname elaborates. "An Alastor is a man-sized AS. Semi-autonomous. Very strong and without morals. At least of those I've seen, anyway."

'Those pieces of machinery at Oshimura's compound! Could they be the Alastors Kaname's talking about?' Shrugging, Zunika remarks, "So he did you a favor. Why not pick him?"

"For one thing, Leonard was a psychopath. He even went so far as to compare himself to Sousuke. Between the two, I'd pick Sousuke any day."

'Good, Kaname. Very good. It shows your dedication to him.' Pouring Kaname a cup of tea, she says, "I see. Where was Sousuke during all of this?"

"He'd been taken off of my protection detail, leaving me under the 'watchful eye' of an operative with Mithril Intelligence. And when I say watchful, I mean as in the guy would just watch me like a sick pervert. Not even take measures to ensure I'd be safe. Sousuke, on the other hand, does all he can to keep me safe. Even when he does go overboard." Both women share a soft chuckle as they recall Sousuke's history at school.

'Why was he taken off her detail if he's so good? I must know!' Curious, Zunika asks, "Was it by Sousuke's request or yours? Him being taken off, I mean."

"Neither. Mithril ordered him to abandon me and have no further contact. You see, they wanted him to solely concentrate on the Arm Slave he's assigned to pilot. Even more, I was supposed to have been Intelligence's responsibility after Khanka. I had never felt so vulnerable or alone as I did before or on that night on the rooftop, after that crazed assassin girl died. But, that's not the worst thing Leonard did."

'I don't even want to picture it.' Shrugging casually, she asks, "What could be worse than that?"

"He stole my first kiss from me and told me he loved me. I had no feelings for him other than total contempt and hatred. On a scale of one to ten when it comes to psychosis, Leonard came out at borderline eleven while Sousuke came out at only one. With one being the lowest amount of psychosis. So, there you have it. Sousuke's my safest choice and I have no regrets at all. We have a beautiful baby boy and Sousuke's changing his call sign in two weeks time."

'Changing his call sign? I wonder.' Smiling giddily, she asks, "Oh? To what? Civilian? That'll make things even better for you both. Or rather, you three."

Giggling, Kaname replies, "Nope. Urzu 1. The leader of the Urzu team is always Urzu 1. Second in command is Urzu 2. He's already done some leadership in the past, but he felt he wasn't quite ready to fully absorb it. When we attacked Oshimura's compound, he and Urzu 1 led the attacks. Urzu 1 was in charge of the snipers while Sousuke and I were the stormers."

Upon seeing Zunika open her mouth, Kaname goes on to say, "I know what you're thinking. 'A female spouse has no place on the battlefield'. But, this was personal. Both to Sousuke and I. Oshimura wanted to use our baby for his experiment. Even more, Leonard supported it. He even wanted to get in on it."

"I'm so sorry, Kaname. I can tell that you're a wonderful Mother. You have shown that you love your child to the point you'd end the life of someone that would threaten the child."

"Yeah, I'd never been so mad in my entire life. So, I neutered the freak and shot him to death. When Sousuke finished dispensing his justice, he gave the order to pull out. He's got real command potential. I've never been more proud of Sousuke except in certain arenas." Kaname can't help but blush over those words and Zunika can only giggle.

'Sousuke as a Commander in the field. I can see that happening. And those certain arenas give him my approval.' Giving Kaname a soft smirk, she says, "I see. What happened to his predecessor?"

"Which one?" At Zunika's second puzzled blink, Kaname goes on. "Sousuke had two predecessors. Lieutenant McAllen and Lieutenant Clouseau."

'Why do I have a bad feeling about where this is going?' Intrigued, she asks, "Which one's the most recent?"

"Lieutenant Clouseau."

'Hmm, sounds French, maybe Canadian.' Nodding, she says, "I'd start with him."

"He's transferring to Mithril's Indian Ocean Fleet."

'One down. One to go.' Giving Kaname an eager nod, Zunika asks, "And Lieutenant McAllen?"

"He's 'Out on Patrol'."

'Oh no!' Recognizing what Kaname said, she asks, "What happened?"

"He was killed from behind by a traitor to Mithril. I happened upon the scene when I saw Lieutenant McAllen's corpse lying there after being dragged by the traitor. I take it you know about Khanka already."

'All too well. Wait, the Khanka incident. Sousuke rescued her! Way to go, Sousuke!' Giving Kaname an enigmatic smile, she replies, "I do. But, why?"

"The leader of the Khanka terrorists was a prisoner on the sub when Lieutenant McAllen died. That sick bastard took over the sub with the help of two traitors to Mithril."

'A sub? And traitors? Now this I gotta hear!' Mock incredulously, she asks, "He died on a sub? Wait, you were on a sub?" At Kaname's nod, Zunika asks, "What were you doing on a sub to begin with?"

"I was supposed to go to an island with Sousuke, but he'd gotten an emergency transmission during the flight. Next thing I knew, that graceful maniac dumped us out over the ocean and we were delivered to the submarine."

'That actually sounds like a lot of fun!' Giving Kaname a playful glare, she says, "I see. Are you sure Sousuke's not psychotic?"

"I'm sure, Aunt Zunika." Checking her watch, Kaname adds, "He should be back here soon."

"I am, Kana-kun." Smiling when Kaname turns around to give him a greeting kiss, Sousuke asks, "Where's Chip at?"

'The perfect couple.' Nodding toward her washroom, Zunika replies, "Oh, he felt the need to refresh himself. So, he asked where the bathroom was. He sure had a strange way of asking. He called it an 'outlet'. Is that off the wall or what?" Zunika shrugs as she adds, "He's either a lunatic or he has the craziest sense of humor."

"There's another possibility, Miss Chidori." They all turn around and see Chip, his chest cavity open. "I'm an android and I need help. Badly."

"Situation, Mr Carson?"

"I think one of my power cells may have gone bad, Lieutenant Sagara. I've tried running a diagnostic, but no luck. They all come back in the green. With that in mind, I'm thinking a relay's gone bad."

"Oh no. Aunt Zunika, is there any way we can help him?"

'He is an android!' Stunned by the sight before her, Zunika snaps out of it in time to reply, "Yes, Kaname. We'd have to get him down to the lab and hooked up to the oscilloscopes. We can trace a problem with them. Come along, Chip, and cover yourself up. I think Haruka-chan's taken a shine to you."

"A shine? I don't recall any reflection coming off of her face." Next thing the android knows, Zunika and Kaname both start giggling and Sousuke starts chuckling. "I know, I know. My programming needs to be updated." Unable to resist a smile, he closes his shirt back up and follows the group out.

As the group exits the office, they see Haruka stand and bow. "Miss Chidori, Mr Gordon Vogel called five minutes ago. He wants to know if you could meet with him today. I checked the book and you have no pending appointments. Shall I pencil him in?" Before Zunika can reply, Chip beats her to the punch.

"Please tell Security to deny Mr Vogel access to the facility. He's not to be trusted at all." Looking over at Zunika, he gives her a pleading expression.

Haruka asks, "Miss Chidori?"

'Another prick I can't stand. Even more, even Carson-san doesn't like him!' After deliberating for thirty seconds, Zunika gives her reply. "You heard the man, Haruka. Mr Vogel is to be considered _Persona non __Grata_ here. Tell Security, if he persists, to notify Police and have him removed. Along with any company he may have with him."

"Hai." Shrugging as the group clears her view, she calls down to the Security Desk and relays Miss Chidori's instructions. Once she's done, she starts pondering. 'How would Carson-san know about Mr Vogel? Did Mr Vogel do something to him?' Curious, Haruka gets up from her desk and follows her employer and her guests.

When they get to the engineering lab, Zunika opens the door and a bustle of activity starts. "Okay, boys and girls, listen up! Those of you not involved with Project H-22, step out now!" When the only people remaining are down to five, Zunika goes on.

"What you're about to see does not leave this room at all! Those that disobey or break the rule will be required to commit ritual suicide as penance! Is that clear?" At their nods, Zunika nods her approval. "Okay, Carson-san. Show them so they can help you."

"Yes ma'am." Opening his shirt, he sees several of the ladies blushing and the men shaking their heads. "It seems they've seen androids before, Miss Chidori."

One of the women asks, "Did you just say 'androids', Carson-san?" At his nod, she sighs and says, "Oh darn. I thought you were doing a striptease routine."

"Striptease?" Chip is truly perplexed as he opens his chest cavity, revealing his internal computer. "Would this be considered to be a striptease?" His answer doesn't come, however, it doesn't stop Zunika from laughing in amusement at all. He's quickly hooked up to all sorts of electronic devices meant to diagnose potential problems in the company's electronic products.

Even electronics made by other corporations. After all, electronics is a tricky business and Chidori Electronics is on the list of outsourced contracts with various competitors to find flaws within their competitors' products. So far, the products checked had come through flawlessly and the products returned. Without having been copied at all. Quality and ethics has always been Zunika Chidori's creed. Making her and her company the best person and company to turn to for analysis.

Meanwhile, in the streets of Osaka, a van carrying three men is prowling the streets. The man in the back of the van is watching his monitor as they try tracking their quarry. Two of the men had been tracking for the past five years when their quarry vanished. They'd been joined by their third member four years back.

"Anything, Derks?"

"No, Mr Vogel. The android's signal wave is all over the place. Plus, there's some kind of interference out there somewhere. Very powerful interference. It's from technology I've never even seen or dreamed about." Gordon Vogel looks over at his third colleague and grins.

"What'd you think about Carson's android, Frederick?"

With a clipped English accent, Dr Frederick Berrigan replies, "When I saw it defeat my 'Spartacus', I knew it was completely flawless. However, it did bear some resentment towards me when it accused me of intending to kill it's creator. Only one thing can generate that. An emotion-simulating chip."

"Oh, boy. Something like that and you're asking for trouble, Mr B. It may be an android, but it's as human as possible."

"Oh, shut up, Derks. Unless, of course, you want me to tell the world who had killed the greatest robotics expert on the planet."

"Hey, Mr Vogel told me to stop his cab from getting to the airport. It's not my fault the accelerator got stuck. It was an accidental death which I truly regret. Even to this day. Jonas was brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Even now, I'm sure that Jonas would be pleased with his creation's survival skills."

"Oh, come off it, Derks. It was your idea to sap it's power supply with a microwave transmitter five years ago. You should have realized it would seek out the nearest electrical outlet. But, no. Instead, you hung far back enough to let the android out of our sights so it wouldn't get suspicious. Then, you lost the signal, you incompetent idiot!"

Sighing, Vogel runs his fingers through his greying black hair, asking, "What can you make of the interference so far, Derks?"

"It's computer-based, that much I'm sure of. It focused a sharp blast of electricity at one point and we're getting interference as a result. Whatever it is, it's shielding the android's location, along with the source's own location."

Intrigued, Berrigan asks, "Could we do that, Derks?"

"I don't think I'd want to try, Mr B. Not with this equipment. Unless, of course, you want to set off a semi-nuclear bomb. Especially in a populated area like this. I won't be a party to mass murder. I've got enough blood on my hands if it's all the same to you."

"Funny. You Americans had no problems with nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing about the end of WW2. I don't see why you should care about innocent civilians. Especially since they'd be dying accidentally. Just like the late good Doctor Carson did."

"That's different, Mr B. It was a time of chaotic war. But, this is now a time of peace in the area. As for Jonas, if I'm caught, I'm willing to face the music. If we're to set off a nuclear-type explosion, we could be facing criminal charges. If we survive through it, that is."

Checking his watch, Vogel turns the wheel, saying, "I've got someone to see at 'Chidori Electronics'. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I just dropped in on her. You guys wanna come with?" With the idea of getting a break, Derks looks up, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Sure. I could use a break from the monitor and stretch."

"No, my friend. You're to stay glued to that monitor in case the interference clears up. You got it?"

Glumly, Derks replies, "Yeah, I got it, Mr Vogel."

Fifteen minutes later, the men arrive at Chidori Electronics. As Vogel and Berrigan exit the van, Derks' voice filters up to them, full of excitement. "Mr Vogel, Mr B. Come quickly!"

"What is it, Derks?"

"More interference, Mr Vogel. I think we're close, sir."

"What is Professor Screwloose talking about, Vogel?" Derks takes the ribbing in stride and goes on.

"Anytime sensing or detecting devices get close to a source of interference, the interference intensifies. It's jumping off the scale now. Which means, the android is somewhere inside Chidori Electronics."

"Very good, Derks. Say, how'd you like to come inside for some fresh air and get away from the monitor?"

"Sure, Mr Vogel." As the balding rotund man happily exits the van, Vogel and Berrigan smile sinisterly.

"With Carson's android within our grasp, we can do anything."

"I agree, Frederick. Big question is, how do we find the android?"

"I guess a room by room search would be in order. I don't think the android even knows about you being here. So, it should be safe enough for us to proceed." Five minutes later, Vogel and Berrigan drop their jaws in shock. With Derks waiting outside and getting some air as he stretches.

"Sorry, Mr Vogel, but Miss Chidori has specifically banned you from gaining entry into the building beyond this point."

"No, no, no. That can't be right. I just thought I'd drop in and meet with her today to discuss my plans and designs."

"I don't make the rules or policies here, Mr Vogel. I just enforce them."

Berrigan nods and, snidely as possible, says, "I see. What about me, good sir?"

"Are you with him?"

"I am."

"Then you can't come in either."

"What? But, if he was specifically banned, then I should be granted access to here."

"Ordinarily, that'd be the case. But, Miss Chidori's decree states, and I quote, 'If the banned party has company, that company is banned along with the originally banned party'. Quite frankly, I like that ruling. Cuts down on troublemakers."

"Troublemakers? Why, you foolish Nip! Do you have any idea as to who you're talking to? I am Dr Frederick Berrigan, noted researcher in robotics and weapons technology!"

"Oh really? Well, guess what. I don't know, I don't care and I sure as Hell don't wear your tacky as Hell suit."

Holding up his hands, Vogel yells, "That doesn't even rhyme!"

"So who gives a turkey, Mr Vogel? I sure don't. In short, I don't care who you are or how important you guys think you are. If you're banned, you're banned. Do not make me call the Police and have you removed from the grounds."

Pondering it, he then adds, "Then again, please do something something stupid. I haven't had this much excitement since Miss Chidori's niece's husband went running out the door like a fire truck on it's way to a five-alarm fire a little while ago. He just returned here before your arrival, in fact."

"Her niece is married?" Looking at each other, Vogel then asks, "Did this young man have sandy brown hair, was Caucasian and take everything said literally?"

"Nope. He was Japanese with an x-shaped scar and steel-grey eyes." Smirking, the guard then recalls a young man fitting the description they gave him, but feels that the two men don't deserve to know about it. For something about them doesn't quite strike right with him. "Now, make like a single-cell organism and split."

"Now see here..." Berrigan's voice trails off as he feels Vogel's hand on his arm.

"That's enough, Frederick." Nodding, Vogel replies, "Okay. You win this round. But, the next one will be mine" With that, Vogel and his cohort leave the building, not knowing Derks had seen everything and used them as a distraction. Allowing him to slip in.

Once the two men leave, the guard and his partner return to their duties, unaware of the heavyset man walking into the building. Sensing device in hand.

Three minutes later, inside the van heading away from Chidori Electronics, Berrigan and Vogel wonder about how Zunika had known off-hand that Vogel is not to be trusted. Shrugging, Berrigan looks behind him to ask Derks about what he found, but finds no sign of the rotund man at all.

"Where's Derks at? Derks! Derks, you idiot! Where are you?"

Back at Chidori Electronics, the guard looks up and sees an immaculately-dressed man. What gets his attention is a neatly-trimmed goatee. When the man speaks, it's with a Russian accent.

"I'm with Argarus Security firm. I'm wondering if Miss Chidori would like to meet with me. Offer name of Preminin. Her niece knows me, as does her niece's husband."

"Yes sir. Right away, sir." Picking up the phone, he says, "Miss Chidori, please call the Security Desk. Miss Chidori, please call the Security Desk." Instantly, the phone rings. "Security."

"_This is Miss Chidori."_

"Ma'am, I'm sorry for the disturbance, but there's a Mr Preminin with the Argarus Security firm here. He's wondering if you'd like to meet with him. He says your niece and her husband knows him."

"_I see. Just a moment."_ A minute later, her voice comes back. _"Access granted. I'd like to meet with Mr Preminin. Have him guided to the electronics lab, if you please."_

"Yes, ma'am." Once the guard hangs up, he asks, "Shall we go, Mr Preminin?"

"Indeed."

Up in the electronics lab, Zunika hangs up the phone and looks over at Sousuke. "If you're with a secret merc group like Mithril, then how does Argarus Security know about you guys?"

"Argarus Security is Mithril's public face and headquarters."

"Oh, like a front company of sorts."

"Affirmative." Upon seeing Kaname's face, Sousuke adds, "Sorry, Kaname. But it doesn't change my feelings toward you at all."

"Nor mine, Sousuke. I just can't believe I married a teenage Rambo that keeps secrets from me. This'll take me a while to absorb." A minute later, she says, "It's absorbed." With that, she leaps into Sousuke's arms and starts Frenching the teenage mercenary. While Zunika watches and giggles with glee.

Meanwhile, the engineers are going over Chip's internal computer. So far, they had found no sign of damage to his power cells. This makes the android even more perplexed. When an engineer brings up a microwave generator and turns it on, Chip feels his energy fading out. Zunika catches it out of the corner of her eye and goes over there.

"Get that thing back down and turn it off! Quickly!" Once the technician's done so, Zunika softly asks, "How're you feeling, Carson-san?" The android's voice is weak as it gives it's reply.

"Weak. Just like when I first powered down. I felt the same thing in your office, Miss Chidori."

"Okay. I think we accidentally found what had happened to you. Now, all we need to do is find out what had caused it. Sousuke, could your foster Father bear some light on this when he gets up here?"

"Possibly. But, I'm not quite sure off-hand. After all, he's never dealt with an android as sophisticated as Mr Carson before."

Outside the lab, Haruka is shedding tears as she watches the scientists go over the android sitting on the table. 'Just my luck! My first true crush turned out to be a jerk and now, my latest crush turns out to be a synthetic being! What are the odds?'

"Are you okay, Miss?" Haruka turns around and sees a tall man with neatly-trimmed facial hair.

"I'm fine, sir. I'm just stunned at the fact that the guy I'm attracted to is a machine."

"I see. I'm about to go inside. Would you care to join me? You can talk to him and see what he thinks about all of this."

"Sure." Hitting the buzzer, she says, "Miss Chidori, please forgive my interruption, but you have a visitor." Upon seeing Miss Chidori's guests nod in agreement, she gets one from Miss Chidori as well. "In you go, sir."

"Thank you." When he doesn't sense Haruka walking in behind him, he gives a merely amused chuckle and asks, "Would it be all right if young lady came inside as well? It seems she's developed crush on Mr Carson there."

'Oh, my.' Giving her receptionist a soft smile, she says, "Haruka." Zunika's voice is soft as she goes on. "Get yourself in here right now, young lady. And stand in front of Chip."

"Yes, Miss Chidori." Once Haruka's in front of Chip, Zunika makes the introductions.

'Here goes.' Taking a deep breath, Zunika says, "Chip Carson, meet Haruka Chidori. My daughter." Sousuke and Kaname's eyes fly open at this bit of unexpected news. Even the man is stunned.

A stunned Kaname can't help but say, "But, Aunt Zunika, I don't understand. Father never said anything about you having a daughter." Next thing Kaname knows, her aunt gives her another enigmatic smile.

'I'm so sorry I kept you guys out of the loop, Kaname.' Smiling still, Zunika replies, "It's because my dearest older brother, your dear Father, doesn't even know about Haruka." Nodding to Haruka, she says, "Show them your right leg, Haruka."

"Yes, Mother."

Lifting up her right pants leg, Haruka reveals that she's not quite human either. The door for her power cord slowly opens and Haruka looks up, with tears coming out of her eyes. As she looks over at Chip, she feels her face-plate going red upon seeing the technology inside him.

Breaking the ice, she says, "Dyna-kinetic logic circuits. You're dated, but still functional. I'm impressed."

"Thank you. What about you, Haruka? What kind of logic circuits do you have?" Next thing he knows, Haruka softly smirks at him.

"You'll see, Chip. When the time's right." Looking around at the stunned faces, Haruka smiles and says, "I guess that makes you my cousin and cousin-in-law, Kaname and Sousuke."

"Yeah, it does. But, how?"

"These scientists and I created Haruka right in this very lab, Kaname. I found out I was infertile and couldn't bear any children. So, I started designing my own daughter. I based her looks on my own when I was twenty. Her skeletal structure was based on mine as well. She's been on line for three years now." Turning to Haruka, she says, "H-22, get onto the table beside Chip."

"Yes, Mother." Once Haruka's on the table, she says, "H-22 android, ready for further instructions, Mother."

"Open your forehead, Haruka."

"Yes, Mother." With that, Haruka's forehead slides open to the sides, revealing an array of sophisticated electronics. Electronics constituting her brain. "Shall I initiate self-diagnostics routine?"

'I need to do something about that.' Giving her a grin, she replies, "No, Haruka. Just sit by Chip for a while."

"Yes, Mother." Chip gets a look at her head and sees her smiling warmly at him.

"Incredible. She's a lot more up to date than I am. Not even my facial motors have that effect. They wind up having my expressions exaggerated at times. You're a heck of a designer, Miss Chidori."

"Why thank you, Chip." With that, Chip begins tracing Haruka's face delicately, with Haruka closing her eyes at the contact. As she watches the two, Zunika can't help but be amused at their interaction.

'He's smitten with her! Just like Kaname was with Sousuke when they were three!' Curious, Zunika then asks, "Did you ever come across a female android or is this the first time for you?"

"I came across a female android once, Miss Chidori. When I went to college. She was a demonstration model named 'Roberta'. She was programmed the same way I was. She took everything literally, just like I do. When we were out together, I gave her free will by programming it into her. We had such a good time, 'Roberta' didn't pay attention to her power supply. Her power died out, but not before I could copy her programming onto a diskette. She was rebuilt and is now in a museum as the world's first android."

Kaname is touched by it and says, "Oh, Chip. But, wouldn't you have been the first android though? That title really belongs to you."

"No. My Dad wanted to keep my android identity secret from the world. He wanted to prove that androids can be just as good as humans in any given setting. If it means not being recognized until Dad's theory is proven, then so be it."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd say you'd proven your Father's theory very well, Chip. Your survival instinct to duck into my family's house showed you can think on your feet. There was no way you could have known my parents had been unable to pay the electric bill due to their being dead. If only we knew what had caused your power supply to plummet so drastically five years ago."

The man nods and says, "I'm Lieutenant Commander Kalinin, Lieutenant Sagara's Commanding Officer. Mithril has launched investigation into death of Dr Carson. It could very well be connected with your shut down, Mr Carson."

"It is and I can explain it." They all turn and see a wheezing man at the doorway. "Mr Vogel, Chip. He's still wanting to get his hands on you so he could patent you as his creation. So, using a microwave emitter I'd devised, we drained your power supply down. To keep you from tracking the source, I was driving twenty feet away from you."

Chip's memory activates as he analyzes the data. "Yes, I saw a van on that street in my peripheral vision. Were you in it?"

"Yes. As was Mr Vogel." Gulping, he adds, "You escaped from Mr Vogel's clutches when you simply disappeared off the scope. So, Mr Vogel had me do something I wish I hadn't."

"What happened?"

"He had me try and stop your Father from getting to the technological conference over here. He was also intent on finding you, using your last known position before you shut down. When he found out he was being invited to a conference, it lit him up inside."

"You mean you killed my Father?" Slowly, Chip gets up off the table and walks steadily toward the man, his chest cavity open. And still hooked up to various monitors. His emotion-simulating chip flashing rapidly. "You killed my Father!"

'Oh boy! I never liked that prick! Much as I want to see Chip tear this guy a new one, I better put a stop to it!' Zunika yells out, "Chip! Stop it! You're about to violate the first fundamental law of robotics! No mechanical being can harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm! That's the first law of robotics!"

Sobbing, Derks sinks down onto the floor, in front of the infuriated android, saying, "I never meant to kill him! The accelerator in my truck got stuck!"

Next thing Derks knows, he feels himself being lifted up by his tweed jacket. Looking up, he sees the face of Chip Carson in a scowl. "You killed my Father." Suddenly, Derks feels a very hard slap on his face. The impact knocks him out of Chip's hand and down onto the floor.

Getting up from the floor and spitting out some teeth, due to Chip's plastic-covered metal hand, Derks starts blubbering and pleading until he hears Chip's next words.

"Please call the Police and have this 'man' arrested. The charges are involuntary vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and conspiracy."

"That sounds most reasonable, Chip. However, he's seen and heard too much. He's undoubtedly seen Haruka's leg and forehead. He'll simply have to forget about it."

"Oh? How?" Sure enough, Zunika's curious as well.

"Like this." Bringing up his Glock, Sousuke fires into Derks' chest and the man goes unconscious. Noting Chip, Zunika and Haruka's shocked expressions, Sousuke explains as he holsters the Glock.

"Don't worry. He's not dead. Instead, he'll wake up with a splitting headache. Courtesy of memory blankers from our 'external' SRT unit. The serum within the rounds erase up to five hours of memory. It's not a problem."

'So they worked together? Team Hawk was the only group that used memory blankers. Impressive.' Sighing in relief, Zunika says, "That's reassuring. For a minute, you were like a Terminator, Sousuke. Cold, cunning, merciless, calculating and ruthless." Looking over at Kaname, Zunika adds, "I couldn't possibly ask for a better nephew-in-law. As long as you keep her safe, that's the main thing."

"Roger." Looking over at Chip, he asks, "Did a human girl ever show interest in you, Chip?"

"Yes. Her name was Erin Jeffries. She was very interested in me. She was so interested, Becky told me to run the other way when she was nearby."

"Well, at least you did far better than I did. A girl gave me a love letter, but I didn't read it."

"What'd you do?"

"I detonated it."

Haruka's eyes go wide in shock before she starts laughing. "You detonated it? Oh, you're very funny, Sousuke."

'Oh, Haruka. I think you need to be informed about Mithril as well. But, that would mean telling Sousuke and Kaname what their parents decided long ago!'

"Actually, Haruka, he's quite serious. Lieutenant Lunacy here is always serious when it comes to demolition work." Watching as Sousuke and Kalinin lifts the man off the floor, Kaname softly adds, "But at least he takes my safety seriously. Without him, I'd be dead by now. If not part of an experiment."

"Lieutenant Lunacy?" That same question is on Zunika's mind as Haruka goes on. "He doesn't seem to be insane."

'No, Haruka. He sure doesn't seem to be. If you knew what he went through in his life, nor would you ever.' Curious, Zunika asks, "Why'd you call Sousuke Lieutenant Lunacy?" As Kaname gives her answer, Zunika starts laughing. With Haruka right behind her.

Once Sousuke and Kalinin have Derks outside the lab, Sousuke gets his Superior Officer's attention the only way possible. Tugging on his jacket sleeve.

"Lieutenant? Are you feeling all right?"

"Somewhat, sir. Kaname and I stopped by my family's house. It's where we found Mr Carson, as you already know, sir."

"Go on, Lieutenant."

"I'm starting to remember bits and pieces, sir. I just remembered a conversation I had with my Mother when I was seven on my way back here. There are also faint traces of times my parents would praise me for doing a good job on my grades. Others where they'd comfort me when I was hurt or sad. Other times where they'd laugh at my jokes or when I did something funny. I don't quite know how to deal with it, sir."

"Sousuke, do you regret seeing your family home after all this time?" At Sousuke's shrug, the tall Russian says, "It's perfectly natural to feel that way, son. After all, you have scant memories of your parents at best. You're teenage warrior starting new life with your protection charge turned wife and your newborn child."

"I do need to think about it, sir. I avenged my parents' deaths, but so many questions remain unanswered."

"I'm afraid there are some questions that will remain unanswered, Lieutenant. But, may I make suggestion?"

"Yes sir."

"Find something to occupy mind. Like project or ideas for Roadwolf. If any other memories of parents come up, tell your wife. Or, if I'm around, you can talk to me."

"Roger." His head kinking in thought, Sousuke finally smiles softly at his CO. "There is something regarding Roadwolf, sir."

"Go on."

"The shock absorbers and springs associated with them. Is there any way they can be beefed up to handle additional weight? Particularly the weight of an android?"

His eyes twinkling in amusement, Kalinin replies, "Let me guess. Roadwolf sent up sparks every inch of way here?"

"Affirmative." Much to his surprise, Kalinin starts laughing as he slaps Sousuke on his back in a comradely manner.

"I'll get Engineering on horn, Lieutenant. But I get feeling suspension system's already beefed up as it is, compensating for weapons on board."

Laughing as well, Sousuke replies, "Understood, sir." With that, the two Mithril men go back inside and see Chip staring into Haruka's optic sensors.

"Infrared, night-vision, bio-scan. So many to identify, I can't even decide where to start. You're a vast improvement over me."

"Aww, don't worry, Chip. If you like, I'm sure Mother could update you. Make you a little bit lighter, even."

"Lighter?"

"Yeah. I weigh 2,500 pounds, but, as you can see, I'm svelte. I have limited metal components inside me. The metal portions protect my CPU and motors. My skeletal frame is fiberglass polymer, lined with Kevlar and covered with flexible plastic skin like yours is, allowing me to enjoy everyday activities."

Intrigued, Chip asks, "What kind of activities?"

"Like bicycling and tennis. Of course, you won't believe how many tires I go through a month on my bicycle. Mother's always saying that she'll find a way for me to lose some weight so I won't go through tires so fast. Even more, the tires are completely solid rubber. No inner tube or air required."

"How many tires, Haruka?" As Haruka whispers into Chip's audio receptor, he says, "No way!"

"Told you so." Without further preamble, Chip makes his decision. Fifteen minutes later, Chip's data is backed up on a CD-Rewritable disc and he's lying down on the table. Her forehead closed securely, Haruka bends over his face and smiles softly. "Ready, Chip?"

"Actually, I'm a little nervous. This is the first time I'm getting an upgrade and Dad isn't even here to do it or see it happening."

"Would you like me to hold your hand while you're shut down?" At his barely perceptible nod, she does so, holding it lightly so she wouldn't get caught in his hand's 'iron' grip. "Is there anything you'd like to be transferred to your new body? If it's possible, that is. Even more, have you given any consideration as to how old you'd like to appear?"

"Well, I am fond of my electromagnetic fingers. They've gotten me both into and out of big messes in the past. Plus, Dad gave them to me. My cybernetic accelerator should be salvageable as well. My emotion-simulating chip can be handy, too. As for how old, I'm about thirty-seven years old in human years while I've been active for fifteen."

"Well, we can knock off ten years on the age progression protocols. Mother will do what she can to preserve your Dad's work. She may even be able to improve on it some." Giving him a light kiss on his forehead, she softly says, "Rest easy, Chip. You're in good hands." With that, Chip's android body shuts down and the scientists go to work on him and his new body.

In the sky, Becky Carson-Morganson, Kyle and Kate Roberts, along with Erin Jeffries, are flying to Japan in First Class. Thanks to a benefactor none of them had met before. As she stares out the window, Becky wonders just how much her brother's changed. Her husband, Robert Morganson, had dropped them off at Dulles International Airport. Suddenly, her pondering is cut short by Erin, who had been sitting beside her, pensive in thought.

"Why didn't you guys tell me he was an android? I would have understood."

"Erin, what would have happened if you'd been kidnapped and you knew about Chip? If you knew anything, I know you'd hold out. But, some people are ruthless. Plus, we didn't want anything to ruin Dad's experiment."

"I thought I felt something hard in Chip's back when I thumped it in our hug. I thought it was weird, but put it out of my mind. I mean, Bonus was enough android for me to handle. But, Chip? Man, that would have had me going nuts."

"Kyle."

"Yeah, Kate?"

"You went nuts the moment you met them." Fingering her wedding band, Kate softly adds, "I needed a nut in my life, Kyle. I'm glad you're my nut. Even though you're a petty thief." The brunette ex-cop gives her husband a playful glare as she goes on. "Once we see Chip again, I'll take you to the 'station', put you in handcuffs and 'interrogate' you all night long."

"Hmm, let's see. How many 'interrogations' have we had so far since we got together? Thirty-five? Or is it sixty-five?"

"Kyle! I can't believe you asked that in public!" Kate can't help but blush furiously as she gets up and walks to another aisle to sit in. The nearly empty plane makes her desire to calm down possible. "You just sit right there until I come back, Kyle."

"Sure, Kate." He notices Becky and Erin exchanging glances and giggles with Kate and finds himself curious. "Hey, Beckers?"

Rolling her eyes at his unofficial name for her, she asks, "Yeah, Kyle?"

"Who's the company that sprung for our trip anyways? They must have a lot of pull to arrange things so quickly."

"I think it's a Security company I've never heard of before. Named Argarus or something like that. The guy that I talked to about Chip wasn't specific about what the company does."

"Hmm, sounds like an investigation is in order. Eh, Kate?"

"You might be right, Kyle. But, you're still in the doghouse right now. Don't worry, I'll throw you a bone or two. Maybe some scraps as well."

Rolling their eyes, Becky and Erin look at each other before sighing. "Have they always been like this, Becky?"

"I'm not quite sure, truth be told, Erin. Dad and Chip met them when Dad was kidnapped and replaced by an android double. It was very convincing. It was so convincing, they named it 'Bonus'. I even saw a picture of them together. I couldn't even tell the difference between Dad and 'Bonus'. The likeness between the two was just too good. Even Chip didn't know at first about 'Bonus' being an android. And it takes quite a bit to fool his optical sensors."

"If it was that good, how'd they find out it was an android?"

Chortling, Kyle replies, "Elementary, my dear Miss Jeffries. It was the coffee. 'Bonus' drank that coffee straight down without even flinching. Even more, that coffee was piping hot. Add to that 'Bonus' grip on Chip's arm, my denting a metal coffee pot against his very hard head and viola! Android city."

"Who'd grab your Dad, though? Yeah, sure, he's a genius when it comes to machinery, but still." With a scowl, Kate takes that opening.

"It was the lowest sack of donkey manure our opposite side of the border, Erin. Dr Frederick Berrigan wanted something Dr Carson had created for Chip."

"Oh? What was that, Kate?"

"An emotion simulating chip. Dr Carson had bridged the gap between man and machine by creating that chip. Of course, he had to be sure it worked. So, he put it in Chip."

"I see." Returning her attention to the window, Erin softly asks, "Could he fall in love for real? Or, would it be simulated?"

Back at Chidori Electronics, the scientists are salvaging what they can improve on from Chip's old body. The emotion-simulating chip is lying on a velvet pillow, courtesy of Haruka's sense of romance. In a way, Chip had entrusted her with his heart and she's not going to let him down.

"Miss Chidori?" The President of Chidori Electronics looks up from her designing table and smiles at the man.

"Yes, Dr Okutasu?"

"I found a demolition charge in the old body. It could be unstable. Should I let your nephew-in-law take care of it?" The remark and question has Zunika pondering before she gives her reply.

"No, that won't be necessary. Chances are, it was placed there to keep Chip from being reprogrammed. As for it being unstable, just keep it isolated until later on. Who knows? It could come in handy later on."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Aunt Zunika."

"Yeah, Kaname?"

"Are you sure you'd rather not let Sousuke handle it? Handling demolition charges is one of his 'special' talents. And, he did teach me."

'Damn, he works fast.' Keeping up the act, she asks, "HE TAUGHT YOU?" At Kaname's nod, Zunika can't help but grimace at the sight of Kaname handling a potentially destructive charge. "No, no. We'll just leave it be. Of course, we can ask Sousuke for suggestions regarding Chip's new body."

"Uh-huh. Sousuke, what're your thoughts?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure they'd be compatible or not, Kaname. But, I think Chip would benefit from having a stealth mode of sorts."

Having an idea of where he's going with it, Kaname asks, "ECS?"

"Affirmative. Lieutenant Commander, would the Captain be interested in participating in this upgrade? It'd more or less be right up her alley."

Stroking his chin, Kalinin replies, "I don't see why not, Lieutenant. Giving Mr Carson ECS capability would give him measure of privacy to perform emergency repairs while stationary in public. Or at least let him remain unseen in alley while performing repairs."

'ECS? Is that part of Mithril's technology?' Her curiosity peaked, Zunika leans forward. "What does ECS mean and how does Kaname know about it?" Their sketchy answer leaves her mind-boggled.

"It's a scientist's dream come true. But, I pray he never has to use it for something other than that. I mean, if someone is to learn what Chip could do, it could mean more of what you're trying to stop."

"Correct. Which is why only Military personnel know about ECS and it's weak points. Along with your niece." Zunika's eyes go wide as Kalinin goes on.

"That's right, Miss Chidori. Your eldest niece is one of few that have intimately-detailed knowledge about Black Technology. That is primarily why Lieutenant Sagara's been her protector. If people of unsavory character was to get hold of her secrets, it could mean total disaster."

The mood is grim for the next five hours until Haruka comes into the lab, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. "Mother, I have news. The Argarus flight carrying Mrs Carson-Morganson and her friends will be landing in Osaka in the morning and right on schedule."

"Her friends? I was under impression it'd be Mrs Carson-Morganson alone."

"As was I, Lieutenant Commander Kalinin. But, the names on the manifest are listed as follows. Erin Jeffries, Becky Carson-Morganson, Kate and Kyle Roberts. I've already done a background check on them as per my protocols. Of the four, only Mr Roberts has a criminal record. Mainly for petty theft, no major crimes. While Kate, his wife, is an ex-cop. She'd taken a lot of flak for her role in the arrest of one Dr Frederick Berrigan, the man that abducted Chip's Father. As a result, she was forced to quietly resign, if only to keep her safe."

Zunika nods in approval of her daughter's diligent work and says, "Thank you, Haruka. How's fabrication of Chip's new form coming along?"

"So far, no major problems, Mother. They're using Chip's facial features as a reference point, to keep him as originally designed as possible. After all, he was designed after his Father as a teenager. Age progression protocol is active, with ten years being knocked off from the final number."

"I see great minds think alike. I'd have loved to have met him. He was brilliant, to be certain." Zunika lightly blushes upon realizing she'd spoken out loud. "Never mind what I just said. Let's just concentrate on issues of compatibility when it comes to Sousuke's suggestion. We need to find a way to adapt an ECS to the current technology. I don't want to picture melding current tech with future tech. Too many things can go haywire."

"Captain Testarossa has Technical working on aspect. Technical, of course, is very wary about introducing future tech into current tech. But, confidence is high."

In the Osaka Hotel, Vogel is pacing in the room while Berrigan is seated, highly-annoyed, on one of the room's beds. "Vogel, would you sit down? You're driving me nuts."

"Don't you understand, Frederick? Once that android leaves the country, it'll just vanish on us. I don't want that to happen again. Carson built that android, using money I gave him. So, it belongs to me."

"What do you intend to do, then?"

"His sister." At Berrigan's intrigued glance, Vogel goes on. "We snatch her and demand the android for ransom. It'll have no choice but to surrender since it 'loves' it's sister so much."

"Nice idea. But, when and where, Vogel?"

"If my calculations are correct, she should arrive in Osaka by morning. At that time, we'll be there. We walk right up and grab her. If anyone's with her, ignore them. She is our priority target."

Back at Chidori Electronics, they're coming across a problem with the components. Particularly the ones salvaged from Chip's original body. The emotion-simulating chip and electromagnetic fingers, along with the cybernetic accelerator, had proved to be incompatible with the newer technology.

So, to compensate, Zunika hits the drawing board and analyzes the emotion-simulating chip intently. Pondering whether or not to violate her strict code of honor. After deliberating for an hour, she comes to a decision.

'Sorry, Dr Carson. But I'm afraid I have to update and improve on your design for your chip for Chip. If his new body is to have a heart, it's the only way. Kami forgive me.'

Unable to stifle a sobbing giggle in time, she looks around and sees no one staring at her. It takes her thirty minutes, but she gets it's design done. Next, she turns her attention to the cybernetic accelerator. After seeing how it wouldn't be compatible enough, she decides to update it as well.

'Oh, Dr Carson. I wish you could be here to see this or at least to advise me. I really do. Your design for the accelerator is excellent as well, but times have changed.' She then turns her attention to the electromagnetic fingers when she is done with the accelerator.

Two hours and thirty minutes later, she gets done with finalizing the designs. She'd figured in a top speed of 220 MPH on the cybernetic accelerator. Along with a wider span for the fingers, compared to the data on the previous form. As she gets up from the table, she remembers one more aspect about Haruka that she was very proud of.

"Haruka, can I speak to you over here, please?"

"Of course, Mother." Once the female android is standing beside her creator, she asks, "Is something the matter, Mother?"

"Not exactly, Haruka. It's just that I'm curious if Chip's fully-developed design-wise. If you know what I mean."

Haruka can't help a deep blush as she catches her 'Mother's drift. "I've never come across a male android before. If he is, what do I do, Mother?"

"Just come back and tell me. Same if he isn't. Haruka, you were designed after me." Upon seeing her android daughter's blush fade in relief, Zunika can't help but smile softly. "I made you as developed as possible, Haruka. Granted, you'll be like me when it comes to other aspects, but I did make you as functional as possible."

"Okay, Mother. Here goes." Timidly walking out of the lab, blushing furiously again, Haruka goes to the covered form on the table and closes her eyes before lifting the sheet. Upon opening her eyes, she gets her answer.

An hour later, Chip's new internal computer is brought on-line. His programming is updated to modern specs, along with some additional data regarding new capabilities. Upon running a diagnostics routine, the computer finds updated software, but no peripherals. At that, the internal computer shuts down.

Electing to go back to the Sagara house, Kaname and Sousuke inform Zunika that they're going to rest there and come back in the morning. As Sousuke drives Roadwolf along the dark Osaka streets, Kaname notices a pensive look on her husband's face.

"Sousuke, you okay?"

"Yeah. It's just that I remembered a conversation I had with my Mother when I was a little boy on my way back to the building. It was from long before we went over to Afghanistan. I was seven at the time." From there, he tells his wife about the memory and how he'd collapsed as it came back to him on the way back. Wrapping up, he says, "I can't tell for sure if it'll hinder my skills or help me to heal somewhat."

"I'm sorry, Sousuke. Do you regret coming back here?"

"Strangely enough, negative. Besides, it had to happen sooner or later. Even more, had we not stopped in when we did, Mrs Carson-Morganson wouldn't be coming over here right now. Intent on taking her 'brother' home."

"Yeah. Yeah, you got a good point there, Sousuke." When they get to the house, they quietly exit Roadwolf and lock the doors. With serious solemnity, Kaname says, "Honeymoon, take three." With that, they enter the house and use flashlights to see around in the dark. When Kaname sees an end table, she opens it and finds photo albums.

"Over here, Sousuke." Upon lifting one out, she reads the title. 'Wedding Pictures'. "Sousuke, your parents' wedding album. Let's look at it together. I want to see what your Dad was wearing when he and your Mom got married."

"Okay." Upon sitting down and opening the book, the young couple sees the happy couple together, wearing their traditional kimonos. "Strange. I'm pretty sure Dad was in the Military. So why wouldn't he be in uniform for his wedding?"

"According to Japanese Law, active duty personnel can't get married in their duty uniforms. It was one of the rules during WW2, to prevent attacks on soldiers and their relatives during that tumultuous time."

"Ah." Nodding at the sensibility of it, Sousuke turns the page and scowls as he growls. "I can't believe it. 'He' was there too." Kaname sees what he's talking about and can't help a scowl either.

"Your 'Godfather' must have had some pull, didn't he."

"So it would appear, Kaname. Or perhaps he was there by Grandmother's request. I see no sign of her younger self at all."

"No, but I do see someone I recognize. Three of them, in fact." In the picture is Shizu, Shunya and Zunika. All wearing proud smiles. "Mom, Dad and Aunt Zunika knew your folks?"

"It would appear that way, Kaname. Strange. I see a bulge around your Mother's midsection." Their eyes go wide at the same time. "Your Mom was pregnant, with you. Looks like second trimester."

"Just like yours was, Sousuke. Her first trimester." Sousuke looks at Keiko's belly and, sure enough, there is a hint of a baby bump. "You don't suppose they wanted us to be together, do you?"

"I, I don't know, Kaname. I'm as stunned by this as you are." Without further words, Kaname dives back into the end table and brings up another album. 'Sousuke's Baby Album'.

"One way to find out for sure, Sousuke." Opening it, she can't help but gush as she giggles. "You were a cute little baby, Sousuke." Suddenly, her eyes go wide. "I'm in the picture as well, with my Mom holding me and your Mom holding you." Flipping to the next picture, she shyly titters upon seeing it. "You might want to see this, Sousuke."

"Kaname? What is it?" Sousuke's eyes go wide and his jaw drops in shock over the words he sees. 'Future union'. In the picture is Sousuke, lying beside Kaname. Both infants sound asleep. Recovering his jaw, Sousuke says, "Curiouser, and curiouser."

"You said it, Sousuke. This is curious and so mind-boggling at the same time. Our parents and my Aunt knew each other?" Sousuke shrugs until he turns the page and starts laughing. "Sous-kun?"

"Take a look, Kana-kun." When Kaname sees the picture, it's her jaw's turn to drop and her eyes' turn to go wide before she giggles. With Sousuke chuckling.

The two infants, being held by their Fathers, and dressed alike. In baby-sized baseball uniforms. Both Fathers dressed in their Military uniforms.

"Daddy knew your Dad in the Military, Sousuke. No wonder he was at their wedding."

"I wonder what event it was that allowed them to be in uniform."

"I can ask Aunt Zunika in the morning while you're waiting for Tessa to arrive."

"That sounds good, Kaname." At this point, he can't help a massive yawn. "You know something? This is turning out to have more twists than a pretzel. I suggest we sleep on it and start fresh in the morning." With that, he lies down on the couch and has his arms open in invitation.

Yawning to accept the invitation, Kaname stretches out along her husband's form and gives him a seductive smile. "Have I told you lately that you make a great body pillow?"

"Not lately. Why, do I?"

"Hmm, that you do." Unzipping his pants, she grins lasciviously as she strokes his member. "Along with filling me up." Her grin turns into a leer when she feels her husband running her panties down from beneath her skirt. "I guess you wanna fill my tank up."

"Affirmative." Without further preamble, Sousuke sends his member into Kaname's folds and she pumps up and down on him. Within minutes, he feels the pressure building and says, "I'm close, Kaname."

"Do it, Sousuke." As she feels him release into her, she begins panting from feeling her orgasm. Once it's ebbed away, she collapses onto her husband and kisses him softly. "Hmm, that was so good, honey."

"Affirmative." Next thing Kaname knows, Sousuke has another pensive look on his face.

"Sousuke, are you thinking about your parents again?" Feeling his member in her passage still, Kaname's mind goes into the gutter as she asks, "Or are you thinking we need to fuck some more?" Emphasizing her question, she grinds her crotch against his.

"Negative, although fucking some more does have some appeal. I was just thinking about three men we lost during the Yangtze River Tunnel incident."

"What happened?"

"The mission was sabotaged from the word 'go'. An Intelligence Officer named Bruno compromised the mission, fouled up our comms and leaked our information to the enemy." Sighing, he adds, "In all, we lost three good men on Team Ruby, Kurz's AS lost an arm and Melissa got her butt kicked by a girl specializing in close-quarters combat."

"Sounds like the girl that tried to kill me while we were separated from each other."

"It was, Kaname." In unison, they let out a massive yawn and grin at each other. "Let's go to sleep, sweetie."

"Hmm, sounds good to me, honey. Good night, Sous-kun."

"Good night, Kana-kun." With Sousuke's member inside her passage still, the couple fall asleep in the house of Sagara. For the first time ever, the couple is sound asleep.

On the roof of Chidori Electronics, the next day, Sousuke and Kalinin are awaiting the arrival of Ansuz-1, Tessa's helo on the island. Tessa had expressed intense interest in the project and elected she'd take part in it as well. If only to meet an android and help improve it.

Kalinin notes the somber than usual look on the young warrior's face and finds himself curious. "Lieutenant, is something wrong?"

"It's just I'm thinking about what Kaname and I found at the house last night, sir. My parents' wedding album and my baby book."

With a concerned smile, he asks, "Too much for you, Sousuke?"

"Not that, sir. Well, not entirely anyway." Next thing both Mithril veterans know, the ECS on Ansuz-1 deactivates, revealing a yellow and blue Bell 222-B. "I'll have to tell you more later, sir."

"Indeed, Lieutenant."

The sight of the helo brings back memories for both Kalinin and Sousuke, for they both start thinking about War Bird and what it's former pilot is doing. When they see Tessa exit the helo, they see that she's dressed for lab work. In a white smock. When she gets to them, the helo lifts off and both men salute her. Returning the salute, Tessa gives Sousuke and Kalinin both a fond smile before getting down to business.

"Lieutenant Sagara, Lieutenant Commander Kalinin, where is the android at now?"

Sousuke replies, "As of 2100 hours last night, Mr Carson's new body is being assembled. There were some compatibility issues that had to be addressed first. Miss Chidori, however, was able to compensate by designing and fabricating updated version's of Mr Carson's technology based on Dr Carson's work, Madam Captain."

"Very good. Just so you know, Lieutenant, Technical burned the midnight oil and is very wary about introducing Black Technology into an android being built, if not updated, using today's technology. But, they were able to adapt a series of ECS lenses and their leads onto a current spec board. Should it work, it would give Mr Carson the capability you have in mind."

"Understood, ma'am. Shall we step inside?"

"Yes, we should." Suddenly, her phone rings. "This is Ansuz." Her eyes suddenly go wide as she says, "Very well. I'll send Urzu 7 to transport them to my current location." Putting her phone back, she turns to Sousuke. "Mr Carson's sister and her companions made excellent time. They weren't supposed to be here until later in the morning, though, Sousuke."

"I guess the pilot was overeager, Tessa."

"In any case, I guess we'll find out, Lieutenant. I want you to go to the airport and pick up Mrs Carson-Morganson and her companions."

"Roger, Madam Captain."

Giving her a quick salute, he makes for the rooftop's edge, bends down to a bag there and brings out a rappelling rope, attaching it securely to the railing as he throws it over. Stepping onto the ledge after putting on a pair of gloves, he grins.

"Express elevator, going down."

With that, he goes over the edge, startling Tessa. Up to the point of her going to the edge herself to check on him. Relieved to see him rappelling down the building safely, her relief soon turns to amused outrage. Shaking her fists and closing her eyes, she starts her 'angered' tirade.

"Lieutenant Sagara, you could have used the elevator inside the building, you lunatic! Geez, no wonder Kaname calls you 'Lieutenant Lunacy'! You're totally nuts!" Hearing him laugh it off, she can only sigh and chuckle. "At least some things won't ever change with him. But, still, it'll be safer with an elevator."

"It would have taken long time for elevator to get up here, Madam Captain. Lieutenant Sagara merely used quickest means available." To emphasize his point, Kalinin summons the building's elevator. The car takes fifteen minutes to get to them.

"I see your point, Lieutenant Commander. It's too bad I'm such a klutz. With my luck, I'd be trussed up like a turkey. Otherwise, I'd be rappelling down the building as well."

As she enters the elevator, Kalinin can't help but stifle a guffaw as he imagines the petite and clumsy Captain getting caught up in the ropes and wrapped up in them.

Back inside her aunt's office, Kaname is looking over the Osaka skyline, admiring the view. Next thing she knows, a rope comes flying down. Along with her husband going down that rope. Getting a look at his grin when he stops, she can't help but giggle.

"Sousuke, you nut." Blowing him a kiss, she gets one right back as he proceeds on down. "I bet Kalinin was surprised. If she's here, Tessa was as well." At that point, Zunika's office door opens, with Zunika walking in smiling. Until she sees the rope.

"Strange way to clean windows. Even more, the window cleaner isn't due until tomorrow."

"Oh, that's just Sousuke. Using his express elevator. I guess he got another call to action. But for now, Aunt Zunika, I've got some questions for you and they're based on these." Kaname sits down and pats the albums at her side. "Sousuke and I now know that you, Mom and Dad knew Sousuke's parents. What do you recall about them?"

"I see you found them." Zunika sits down beside Kaname and smiles fondly at her niece. "They were very nice people and very much in love. Keiko's Mother didn't approve of Fumiko. Yet, Fumiko's parents liked her right away. They found her to be a calming influence on Fumiko."

The fond smile soon goes soft as she adds, "Keiko was my best friend and I was her confidante. She told me everything. Much like Shizu was and did. We were sorority sisters of sorts."

"How'd Sousuke's parents meet?"

Still smiling softly, Zunika replies, "Fumiko met Keiko while he was on liberty. It was love at first sight for them. At the time, Shizu was pregnant with you, Kaname."

"It was a whirlwind romance for Sousuke's parents?"

"Yes. Their first date, Keiko made the move. When Keiko later learned she was carrying Sousuke, she immediately told her Mother. She was hoping she'd be pleased because, like Shizu was, Keiko was ecstatic. In turn, she got an ultimatum. Get married or abort the child. Heartbroken by it, she went right to Fujimo's base to talk to him. Now, here's the kicker. Fumiko had a sense of honor not seen in years. Honor connected with one being responsible for one's own personal actions."

"Just like me and Sousuke. He inherited his Father's code of honor. Even more, it was love for us. Just like for them."

"Yes. Of course, her Mother was furious. She didn't think that Fumiko would be so honorable. But, when she first saw Sousuke, she changed her tune in a hurry."

"Yeah, Sousuke and I kinda got that when we came across her at the cemetery. We then saw their graves after she left. Sousuke was stunned by it. His parents have graves in Japan and they're buried in Afghanistan. Which is why he's wanting to go to Afghanistan and bring his parents home to their graves."

"A son's duty is to always give the parents a dignified burial. Even if it is delayed by years." Nodding toward the albums, Zunika asks, "How far did you get in the albums?"

"Not very. Sousuke saw his 'Godfather' and no sign of his Grandmother's younger self there in the reception picture."

"That's not very surprising. Keiko's Mother wanted nothing to do with the ceremony. Yet, she sent Hangi Oshimura to act as Ambassador of sorts. You see, Kaname, Keiko came from a well-to-do family. When she met Fumiko, she was considering running away from an arranged marriage. I'll give you one guess as to who the groom was supposed to be."

"Hangi Oshimura." At Zunika's nod, Kaname grimaces, saying, "Arranged marriages in the high society circles were doomed to fail. Because there'd be the lack of true love except in some such cases." Sighing, she then adds, "At least he used those nitro-enhanced magnum rounds on Hangi Oshimura's ass."

"Sousuke used nitro-enhanced magnum rounds?" At Kaname's nod, Zunika says, "I thought he broke that prick's neck."

"He did. But then he came back to life. Remember that unethical experiment Sousuke was talking about?" When Zunika nods, Kaname goes on. "Hangi had experimented on himself, allowing the experiment to work. But only for a short time."

"This I gotta hear. Why'd it only work for a short time?"

"When 'he' threatened to kill us and make Sousuke Jr his lab rat, Sousuke was so pissed off, he drew his Desert Eagle and literally blew Oshimura to pieces. Once Oshimura was dead, Sousuke demoed the corpse." Next thing Kaname knows, Zunika's laughing while suppressing the urge to vomit.

"I wish I could have been there to see that, Kaname." Going over to her desk, she opens a drawer and brings out a smaller album. "Before the Sagaras left Japan, Fumiko entrusted this to me to give you when you came of age. To remind you of your friend if anything happened to them. I also have some videotaped messages he'd intended to give you both should you two get together on your own. Of course, you were pretty much betrothed anyway."

"We were friends? And betrothed?" At Zunika's nod at both questions, Kaname gasps and says, "No wonder I found him interesting. Even with him being an odd bird. I had already known him. But, why didn't I even remember him?"

"You were the best of friends and betrothed as a familial joke. But, you had been separated from each other at four years of age. Keiko's Mother didn't want Sousuke to be with the daughter of a former soldier. She'd arranged for him to marry another little girl from a rich family. Even more, the girl was very snooty. Even when Sousuke tried being nice to her. In fact, he was always nice to her, but she kept treating him like garbage."

"I see. Her name?" Kaname can't help but make a mental note. 'Find the girl and slap her silly! Treating a sweet guy like Sousuke like garbage, will ya?'

"I think it was Mariko or something like that. Of course, when she heard about Sousuke's 'passing', she mourned for five weeks before moving on. This time, with a better attitude. She's married now, with a baby." With that, she hands Kaname the smaller album.

'Okay, disregard past note!' Verbally, Kaname says, "Next time we see Keiko's Mother, I intend to have some words with her." Opening the smaller album, Kaname blushes upon seeing the two of them running naked beside each other on a beach. "How old were we when this was taken?"

"You were both three. Sousuke had gotten the silly idea to take off his bathing suit and go running in his birthday suit. Much to Shunya and Shizu's shock, you did the same thing."

"No way!" At Zunika's laughter, Kaname can't help but laugh as well. "No wonder I felt comfortable with being naked around Sousuke when we got together. But, I still blushed."

"I see. And your first time. Did it hurt?"

"No, it didn't." At Zunika's blink, she goes on. "The night that crazed assassin girl died in Tokyo, it was raining. It was after Sousuke had left me alone. I remembered he told me that there was another 'operative' with Mithril Intelligence assigned to be an observer while he was on missions. He even told me while I was giving him a slight trim."

"I like the sound of it so far. It sounds like the life of a secret agent."

"You're not far off there. So, with that knowledge in my grasp, I started my own covert mission. As a cover, I used a pervert and a love hotel to initiate it. I stripped down to my panties, thinking there was a tracking device in my clothes somewhere."

"Sounds prudent, given what I've heard about Mithril Intelligence so far. Go on."

"Right. Well, I then covered up with a robe and picked a Taser-gun Sousuke'd given to me from his collection of non-lethal weaponry. And when I say collection, I mean collection. He had as much non-lethal ordnance as he does lethal."

"So he is a walking armory of sorts, then." At Kaname's snicker and nod, she says, "Go on."

"Well, I placed the Taser-gun in the robe's tie-strap and exited out the window. I placed my foot onto the railing, but it slipped. I fell and landed the wrong way on a group of trash bags."

"You felt it, didn't you." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah, I felt my hymen tear apart. It had hurt, badly. After taking some deep breaths, I got back on my feet and walked it off. I had a mission and Sousuke'd taught me to execute it well without us even knowing it. Before we came here, he called it 'battlefield discipline'. That I learned from him before when he told me about it. I even saw him using it that night in Khanka."

"What happened?"

"He pulled a piece of RK-92 scrap out of his side and dressed his wound. It happened that night in Khanka. He even has the scar from that wound. By all accounts, he was very lucky his kidney wasn't punctured."

"Wow. He did that himself?" At Kaname's proud nod, Zunika adds, "It seems he was a good influence on you after all." At Kaname's blush, giggle and nod, Zunika asks, "Did you find the operative?"

"Yeah. On top of the highest building in Tokyo. It was the only way to get a vantage point to observe the whole city. When I told 'him' to turn around and drop 'his' gun, 'he' confirmed my suspicion there was a tracking device. 'He' then told me 'he' was sent by Mithril Intelligence. Next thing I knew, the crazed assassin girl shot 'him' twice and came after me. Intent on killing me."

"Why'd she come after you?"

"I don't know. See, that's the thing about crazed assassins, whether they be boy or girl. They never make any damned sense whatsoever." Both women share a giggle as Zunika looks over at her niece.

"What happened then?"

"I decoyed her and took up the high ground position. I was so unsure of myself, I remembered what Sousuke had told me about third-rates licking their chops. She was good, but she was third-rate. But, still, she didn't deserve to die like that. But, the one that ordered her death, Leonard. He's been dealt with."

"Did she kill anyone you know?"

"No, but she killed some of Sousuke's fellow warriors on the Primary Response Team. Three fatalities on Team Ruby. It happened during the Yangtze River Tunnel incident in China. Does that ring a bell?" Zunika nods before her eyes go wide in amazed shock.

"You mean, that was Mithril that did the rescue? Did they destroy the tunnel or was it the ones responsible for that mess?"

"Yep. The ones responsible for the mess were sore losers. So, they detonated a mine, effectively wrecking the tunnel. Even more, the ones responsible were after the AS that Sousuke's assigned to pilot."

"How do you know about that?"

"Sousuke told me about it when we got back to his family home. But, there was a catch. There was a traitor in the Intelligence Division. He messed up their communications, leaked classified information and nearly got everyone killed. One of his colleagues on the SRT had wound up losing an arm on his AS."

"He lost a gun?"

"No. As in he literally lost an arm on his M9 while another colleague nearly got killed by the crazed assassin girl. The incident was before Sousuke was forced away from me."

"How'd they get out with that much going on?"

"To successfully escape the trap, they used the 'Cretans' Paradox'."

"I heard about that. It's a paradox that's created when a Cretan says that all Cretans are liars. It's hard to tell if it's true or not."

"That's right. It was a brilliant sleight of hand. Or, rather, sleight of voice." Zunika can't help but roll her eyes at Kaname's pun as Kaname giggles. A moment later, Zunika joins in it, for she finds it amusing as well. Opening her handbag, Kaname brings out a picture. One that she'd looked upon many times. "This is a picture of Sousuke with some of his fellow soldiers."

Zunika's eyes go wide upon seeing Sousuke with a group of soldiers and sitting on the right arm of an RK-92 Savage. "Are they alive still?"

"No. They're 'Out on Patrol', Aunt Zunika."

Back outside, touching down near the parking garage, Sousuke quickly runs in and gets into Roadwolf. They had parked Roadwolf when they first arrived at the corporation's building close to the garage's entrance. Grinning as he slips the car into gear, he exits the garage quickly, without having to use the turbos.

At the airport, five minutes later, Kate is chastising Kyle for pulling his stunt. He had offered the pilot a hefty sum if he was to crank the plane's engines to their maximum threshold. Purely to see what they were capable of.

Much to their surprise, the pilot refused the money and did it anyway. The ride went by much quicker. At the same time, the plane's fuselage was shaking so much, it felt like it would fall apart if someone was to so much as break wind inside the plane.

"You trying to get us killed, Kyle? Did you hear that plane vibrate or not?"

"I did, Kate. But, I just wanted to see what it could do."

"Kyle, we've been married for two years now. Aunt Mildred is pressing me to have children for her to spoil rotten. And you know how she is about spoiling people rotten. I'd really like for her to have that chance, if you don't mind."

Kate's tirade is cut short when the PA makes it's announcement. _"Will Becky Carson-Morganson and companions please come to the front of the airport? Your transport has called and is arriving now."_

"That's our cue, guys. Maybe we can get some information about Argarus and what they do." Becky gives the woman that once had a crush on her brother a weak smile as they walk to the front of the airport.

At the same time, Sousuke and Roadwolf arrive, just as the van carrying Vogel and Berrigan pulls in behind the car. Vogel and Berrigan get a good look at the car as it heads for the welcoming area.

"Who could that car be here for?"

"No idea, Vogel." Berrigan smirks evilly as he adds, "And I for one certainly don't really care. Is all in readiness?"

"Yeah." Vogel then sees an Osaka Police cruiser and his mind adds a new aspect to the plan. "Oh, we have an opportunity here. A Police Officer. We take his gun and threaten her with it."

"Agreed." With that, the van reaches the welcoming area and parks behind the black car. The two men exit the van, not seeing the driver step out of the black car. Upon walking inside, Vogel spots the Osaka Officer and puts his plan in motion. At the same time, Berrigan sees Becky with her entourage.

Overpowering the Officer, they swiftly grab his revolver and Berrigan shoots him in the chest. The gunshot causes a panicked frenzy as people scream and duck for cover. When Vogel sees Becky, he snatches the revolver from Berrigan's hand and runs to her.

"You're coming with me, Carson!"

"Becky!" Erin's fear for her crush's sister is evident. Up until she sees a young man drawing a handgun of his own. 'What the? But, he's just a baby!'

"Drop it!" Upon hearing a young man's voice, Vogel turns around, expecting to see an armed Security Guard. What he sees, he doesn't expect. "I said drop it!"

"You?" Starting to laugh richly, he points the gun at Becky's head and says, "Go point your squirt gun at someone else, sonny boy." Next thing he knows, a gunshot sounds and a bullet strikes him in his left shoulder. In disbelief, he says, "You shot me."

Chortling, Becky asks, "Gee, ya think?"

"Shut up, Mrs Carson-Morganson. Okay, you wanna deal with me? Fine then. Bring me the android known as Chip Carson and I'll give her back to you unharmed. We'll be at the hotel across from the airport. That'll be the exchange point. Those are my terms. You've got three hours."

Without waiting for a retort, Vogel ducks Becky toward a waiting Berrigan and the open door being held by the madman. Within seconds, they're walking toward the van. The van's back tires start screaming as it roars away from the airport.

Snarling, Sousuke holsters his Glock and brings out his communicator. Not seeing Kyle and the others walking up to him. "This is Urzu 7. Hostage situation at the airport. Hostage is Becky Carson-Morganson. Suspects on the move in a black van. Ransom is Mr Carson. Please advise. Over." Upon hearing the low battery tone, he mutters, "Damn."

"You're not giving Chip to that creep, are you?" Sousuke turns around at the woman's voice and shakes his head. "What are you going to do then?"

"I don't know yet. Come on, my communicator's battery is low. I'll brief you on the way. When we get to our destination, I need to brief my foster Father."

"Wait just a minute. Who in the world are you?"

"Sagara. Sousuke Sagara." The woman nods and looks right into his eyes.

"I'm Erin Jeffries, this is Kyle Roberts and his wife, Kate. If you can save Becky, I'll give you ten thousand dollars."

"I decline the money, but accept the mission. But first, I gotta do the brief. Come on. Let's get you relocated." Checking the Officer, he asks, "You alright?"

"I will be. My vest caught it."

"Understood." Nodding, he and the other arrivals exit the terminal and head for Roadwolf. "Get in, quickly. The clock is ticking."

Twenty minutes later, back at Chidori Electronics, Sousuke wraps up his briefing outside the lab. With Kyle, Kate and Erin waiting in the break room. "And that's the situation as it stands, Lieutenant Commander."

"Consistent as usual, Lieutenant. Your honeymoon has certainly taken interesting turns since you and your wife departed for it."

"To say the least, sir. To say the least. Where are we on the construction of the new body, sir?" Tessa looks inside and sees the scientists are about to wrap up.

"Just about done, Lieutenant. Intelligence has captured satellite images of the van in question since it left the airport. It's been tracked to the Osaka Hotel." Tessa's face is in a scowl as she turns back around and asks, "How do you propose we retrieve Mrs Carson-Morganson, though? The old body is shut down and practically scrap metal."

"Not entirely, Captain Testarossa." Zunika's voice is beaming with pride through the intercom as she says, "I've finished my work and have reassembled the original body. I was hoping perhaps to have it placed in a place of honor. But, given the circumstances of Chip's sister being taken hostage, I feel that it'll be better this way."

Blinking, Tessa asks, "How do you mean, Miss Chidori?"

"You'll see. Meet me in my office in five minutes, please."

Nodding, Tessa replies, "Of course." Five minutes later, they're inside Zunika's office, with Zunika wearing a proud smile, with Haruka smiling warmly.

Nodding, Zunika says, "Haruka, bring both Chips in, if you please."

"Hai." Bowing, Haruka opens the door and waves them in.

When the two androids walk in, the difference is evident in between the two Chips. The newer Chip appears slightly older, while the original one is still appearing teenaged.

"Introducing Chip 2.0. This model comes fully-equipped. Thanks to Mother's ingenuity and Mithril's aid. But, what'll we do with the older version, Mother?"

Getting an idea, Sousuke grins and asks, "How good are you at pop quizzes, Haruka?"

Kinking her head to the side, the female android replies, "I'm not sure. I've never done one before, Sousuke."

"Okay. Here's one for your logic circuits to ponder. Innocent woman taken hostage at the airport by two men. The men demand an android that neither man had built as ransom. How do you give the men what they want, and yet not at the same time? Along with avoid having the woman as a casualty?"

Haruka's logic circuits ponder it before the android replies, "Trojan Horse. Equipped with a demolition charge, set to blow upon the captive being out of harm's way. Preferably away from the two men as well."

"Affirmative. Although, it's highly likely they'll try again if they figure out they'd been suckered. So, we may have to use lethal means to enforce it." Looking over at Zunika, he asks, "Is the demo charge back inside the original body?"

"No, but I can get it back in there. Why?"

"No life is complete without a big ka-boom. Once we get Becky clear of danger, we trigger the charge. Are either android responsive at the moment?"

Both Chips reply, "We are, Lieutenant."

"Good. Aunt Zunika, do you have any trucks available? I'm going to need every bit of maneuverability I can get if I'm going to pull this off the hard way. That is, if it's needed."

"Yes, but, why?" Next thing Zunika knows, Kaname gives her aunt an enigmatic smile.

"Because Roadwolf is not an ordinary car."

Perplexed, Zunika and Haruka ask, "Roadwolf?"

Sousuke replies, "You'll see. Chip, have you ever driven a truck?"

"Nope, I haven't. But, I can be programmed to do so."

"You may want to get the programming and practice, then. You're the inside operative in case things go south. You got about an hour and a half of practice time. Get cracking."

"Yes sir."

Two and a half hours later, Becky is struggling with her bonds. "It's no good, Mrs Carson-Morganson. You're bound securely." Vogel smiles sinisterly at Becky before turning back to the window.

"Indeed you are." Berrigan smiles evilly as he asks, "So, what does a girl do when she's taken captive? I doubt I can get very much for you, but your 'brother' is something else altogether. Then again, 'White Slavery' is the latest rage these days."

"I wouldn't know. I'm not that fucking nuts, asshole." Berrigan snarls as he jabs the gun into the woman's face.

"Are you saying I'm fucking nuts? Are you?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Well then, Becky Carson, we'll just have to see how you do your skydiving without a parachute. Won't we?"

"It's not on my top ten list of things to do. If anything, it's on my lower ten list of things to do. However, don't let that stop you from putting it on your top ten list."

"That's not funny." In a huff, Berrigan storms off, leaving a slightly-amused Becky behind. Her amusement soon turns to worry. Next thing she knows, Vogel's excited voice comes up.

"We've got a truck coming up. Along with a familiar-looking black car." His excited tone soon turns to one filled with horror when he says, "It's armed."

"Armed?" Berrigan goes to Vogel's side in time to see a set of machine guns at the sides of the car. "What in the world is that thing?" Next thing they know, the room's phone rings. Curious at the timing, Berrigan goes to the phone and picks up the receiver. "Berrigan."

"_Okay, fellas, I'm going to make this real simple. Even for you. I want you to send out the woman at the same time as the android. Acknowledge."_

"This is Dr Frederick Berrigan. I acknowledge and thank you. When the android is in the van, we'll release her then."

"_Negative. Either send her out at the same time or I'll activate the android's SDM as it walks. That way, you don't get it and she's free. And believe me, you don't want to know what the SDM is."_

"Okay, okay. No need to be so brutal about it." Putting his hand over the phone's mouthpiece, he softly says, "Stay close to Mrs Carson-Morganson. Once the android is nearby into the van, grab her and bring her back here."

Back inside Roadwolf, Sousuke gives Kaname a nod and she nods right back. They can both smell a double-cross from a mile away. Past experience is an excellent teacher. Turning back to the hotel room, Sousuke smirks semi-wickedly.

"Oh, and in case you guys are thinking about pulling a double-cross, here's a little preview of what's to come." Pulling the triggers, he fires the chain guns, sending rounds to right in front of the room, chewing up the pavement. "Just a little thing to keep in mind."

"_Understood."_

Sousuke nods in reply, changes the channel and says, "Okay, you're up. Send out the package." Once he's done transmitting, he sighs heavily, glad the plates were switched earlier before they left Chidori Electronics.

With that, the door of the Chidori Electronics truck opens up and it's driver gets out. Going to the back end, the driver opens the door, ensuring the back end is visible to the people in the room. As Chip 1.0 steps out of the truck's back end and starts walking toward the van, the driver closes the door and goes back to the front of the truck.

At the same time, Becky is brought to her feet by Vogel and roughly hauled out of the room. Once Becky and Vogel are out of the room, she sees a black car with machine guns and gulps at the sight of it. When she gets Chip into her line of sight, she shakes her head.

"Chip, don't worry about me! Don't let yourself be taken by these jerks!"

"I can't let anything happen to you, Becky! I'm an android, nothing more!"

"You're more than that, Chip! You're my brother!" By this time, they're close enough to speak softly to each other. "Fight it, Chip. You know what they have in mind for you. Fight it, even if you have to self-destruct." Much to her disgust, Vogel starts laughing.

"I don't have to worry about that. Especially since the access code to the charge has undoubtedly stayed the same." Jerking his head toward the van, he says, "Get into the van, android, and prepare for reprogramming."

"Yes, Mr Vogel." As Chip 1.0 walks toward the van, he adds, "Remember me fondly, Becky."

"I always have and will, Chip."

"Oh, how touching. Not!" Cutting her bindings, Vogel shoves her forward, saying, "I don't want to get chopped to pieces by the guns on that car there. Otherwise, I'd have enjoyed throwing you out at 25,000 feet."

"I hope Chip will still be able to self-destruct. Wipe you off the face of the planet, you son of a bitch. Both you and Berrigan. I'm surprised Derks isn't with you right now."

"Oh no. Matter of fact, that fool can rot wherever he is." Shoving her toward the car, he says, "You're free. Now go."

Striding toward the black car, Becky soon finds herself running toward it. When she gets inside, she says, "If you can't save my brother, at least activate the self-destruct. I don't want him to be reprogrammed." Looking at the driver, she sees a familiar scar. "You?" Much to her surprise, the young man merely smirks.

"Don't worry. That issue is being handled as we speak."

"Huh? What do you mean?" The young woman sitting behind him snickers as she turns Becky's way.

"You'll see."

Inside the van, Vogel is typing in the access code to prevent Chip's self-destruction. He then sees the following words. **'Self-destruction will be neutralized in twenty-five minutes. Once ****neutralization**** starts, it cannot be stopped. Do you consent?'**

"Oh, do I ever." As he types in his reply of 'yes', he snickers, saying, "Finally. After all this time, I've finally won!" Finding himself bemused, he then scratches his head and says, "I wonder why it takes twenty-five minutes. Unless, of course, the self-destruct charge is the same thing. So, deactivating it will take some time if it's unstable."

"Berrigan! Let's go!"

"What about the android?"

"The self-destruct charge is being neutralized as we speak."

"Then that's the most important thing. Let's go." Berrigan drives the van to the airport and along the tarmac until they reach the 'Berrigan Industries' plane. Within minutes, he has the plane in the sky.

Down on the ground, Roadwolf deactivates it's weapons and Becky steps out, clenching her fist. "Vogel and Berrigan better hope I don't catch up to them."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them very much." Becky turns around at the young woman's voice and growls.

"Why not?" At that, the young man checks his watch before giving his reply.

"Because, in about eighteen minutes, they won't even be alive anymore. It's not a problem."

Horrified, Becky asks, "You mean, Chip's gone kamikaze?"

"Sort of. Chip 2.0." When Becky sees her brother appear out of nowhere, she shrieks. "It'll take some getting used to. His ECS is quite effective. Wouldn't you agree, Angel?"

"Indeed, Lieutenant Sagara. Indeed." Giving Chip a salute, she adds, "You'd make an excellent Intelligence Operative for Mithril, Mr Carson. Far better than the job Wraith did at least."

"ECS? Angel? Lieutenant? Intelligence Operative? Mithril? Wraith?"

Overwhelmed, Becky faints, with Chip 2.0 catching her in his arms. The android then lifts her up into his arms and carries her to the Chidori Electronics truck.

In the sky, seventeen minutes later, as the reprogramming is carried out, Chip 1.0 kinks his head and smiles faintly. However, the smile is caught by Vogel.

"What're you smiling about?"

"Oh, I'm just curious about something."

"Does this require a demonstration?"

Vogel involuntarily twitches, as he remembers the last time the android required a 'demonstration'. He had wound up getting nailed within the crate he had intended for the android to be in during the drive to the Patent Office. When Vogel was brought out of the crate, he was laughed at and thrown out of the Office, with the staff saying that the world had enough morons as it is. Even more, they even told him morons can't be patented.

"Nope. But, here's what I'm curious about. How proficient are you with pop quizzes?"

"I can hold my own. Go ahead."

"Okay. You're flying at 25,000 feet and reprogramming an android. Like, say, me. It's SDM has been working steadily for the past twenty-four minutes. Counting down to zero. What do you do?"

"I dunno. What's SDM stand for?"

"Self-Destruct Mode. There is now thirty seconds remaining." Vogel's face goes pale in horror as the old android body starts laughing. "If I'm going to break the first law of robotics, I might as well do it right." The android continues laughing, scaring Vogel senseless.

"BERRIGAN!" Berrigan looks back to see what Vogel's screaming about. That's when it happens.

KA-BOOM! The flaming wreckage of the Berrigan aircraft splashes down in the Sea of Japan. With no survivors to be found or rescued.

Before the explosion, inside the Chidori Electronics truck, Haruka is holding an unconscious Becky up while Chip gets into the truck. "My cousin-in-law is an excellent tactician, Chip."

"Yeah, he is. He must have figured that Vogel would do something like that. So, he had me activate my ECS, slip into the van and program the SDM to activate with receiving the access code and lie about it being neutralized before Vogel got into the van. What'd you think of it, Haruka?"

"Well, it kinda pains me to say it, but I should. You're more advanced than I am now. Plus, when you vanished in front of me, I was astonished at how complete it was. You didn't even have to get naked. Although, I'd have probably enjoyed seeing you in the nude. Since Mother made you a little more complete."

"Complete? You mean?"

"Hai, although we won't be able to bear children. In fact, I know of this lovely little closet inside the building. We can both plug in together. In both ways, I might add." Haruka giggles while Chip blushes furiously. "Oh. Am I being too forward?" At his nervous nod, she timidly giggles and says, "Sorry. That's how I was programmed. I guess I take after my Mother quite a bit."

"With every aspect, I find you entrancing, Haruka." Looking at his sister, Chip grimaces lightly and says, "We'll have to wait until after we get Becky to Chidori Electronics. I don't want to risk hurting her, Haruka. It's bad enough I spooked her."

"I'm sure she'll understand, Chip. But, you're right. We should wait because it looks like Roadwolf is ready to roll out." Kinking her head to the side, she then asks, "Why does Roadwolf have weapons anyway?"

"My guess is to handle very rough situations your cousin and her husband could come across at any time. Luckily, it wasn't that bad. However, I detected large amounts of ordnance built into the car itself."

Haruka gives a shiver and says, "I don't think I'd want to be it's enemy at all."

"Same here."

That night, in Osaka, the crash is on the news.

"_Earlier today, an airplane belonging to Berrigan Industries exploded in midair and crashed into the Sea of Japan. The plane was carrying two men on board. They've been positively identified as Dr Frederick Berrigan and Mr Gordon Vogel. About twenty-two minutes after taking off, the plane exploded in mid-air, killing both men. Flight transit authorities are investigating, but have ruled out sabotage and foul play. For Osaka News, this is Krakito Nugata."_

"Ugh, my head." Next thing Becky knows, she hears a young woman's voice.

"Shh, don't try to move or speak. If you feel the need to speak, just build yourself up to it."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Teletha Testarossa, but you can call me Tessa."

"Where am I, Tessa?"

"You're in the executive wing of Chidori Electronics in Osaka. The President's office, in fact." Slowly, Becky opens her eyes and sees a young woman. What gets her attention is her platinum-colored hair.

"You've got nice hair, Tessa."

"Why, thank you. I could say the same for you, Mrs Carson-Morganson."

"I had a heck of a dream, Tessa. I dreamed my brother blew himself up and then came back out of thin air. Along with a car that had machine guns."

"Must have been some dream you had. About the guns, I mean. As to your brother detonating and coming back..."

"So, where is he?"

"OH MY GOSH, CHIP!" Haruka's excited voice comes through loud and clear throughout the building. "OH KAMI!" Becky's jaw drops as she looks and sees a beet red Tessa. Tessa's face goes even more red with Haruka's added screams of ecstasy.

"Guess and see what you come up with."

"You mean, Chip and a girl, they are..."

Tessa nods and replies, "Correct." Quickly amending herself, she adds, "A girl android, that is."

"Who created her, Tessa?"

"An Aunt of a friend of mine. In fact, she's been waiting for you to wake up. She was quite impressed with your brother's condition before the upgrade."

"So there'd been some changes made."

"Yes. But, please keep this in mind. Just because Chip has a new body doesn't mean he's not the same one that you remember. He is the same one, just with updated software and hardware."

All further musing is cut short fifteen minutes later when the office door opens, revealing a familiar face to Becky. "I'll leave you two be, give you a chance to catch up." Tessa gets up and walks away from the woman. Pausing at the door to watch slightly, she quickly ducks out.

"Thanks, Tessa." Getting up, she walks over, looks the form up and down and, with tears of joy falling, she wraps the form in a hug. "Oh Chip!"

"Becky." The android holds his human sister in his motorized arms and looks at her face. "You don't look any worse for wear."

"Nor do you, Chip. If anything, it looks like you lost some weight."

"Actually, I did. I now weigh 2,500 pounds."

"Wow. You dropped 2,000 pounds. I'm impressed, Chip." Grinning slyly, she then asks, "Where is she? I want to meet your girl, Chip."

"Just a moment, Becky." Going over to the door, he sees Haruka with Zunika. Chatting with each other. "Haruka, Miss Chidori, my sister would like to meet you."

Zunika nods and replies, "I'd like to meet your sister as well, Chip. You ready, Haruka?"

"I am, Mother." When the woman and female android go into the office, they see Chip walking back to Becky and stand by her side. "Hello, Becky. I'm Haruka Chidori and this is my Mother, Zunika Chidori."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Chidori. Your company makes excellent electronics. You have the best reputation in the world as having a high ethics code." Zunika blushes as Becky goes on. "Haruka, I heard you with my brother. I hope you'll keep him happy, at least."

"I'm sure I will, Becky-chan. Chip-kun is an excellent fit for me." Suddenly, Becky and Zunika burst out laughing warmly while the female android is bemused. "Was it something I said?"

In another part of the building, Sousuke and Kalinin are talking with each other privately while Kaname and Tessa went to speak privately with each other.

"Lieutenant Commander, I'm wondering about someone I once came across in Afghanistan."

"I see. When was this, Lieutenant?"

"The day my parents died, sir."

"Did you get name, Sousuke?"

"Yes sir. Comrade Sergeant Dimitri Ilyasovich of the Red Army."

"I recall name, but I can't tell for sure, though. I'll check when Captain Testarossa and I return to Merida Island. I have some sources back in Russia and it'll be good to speak with them again."

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir." Suddenly, Sousuke's stunned when he sees a picture in Kalinin's hand. Getting a good look, he sees a sleepy Sousuke Jr being held by a smiling Melissa. "Who took the picture, sir?"

"Sergeant Weber did. Miss Tokiwa and Mr Kazama were in room as well. Even more, you'll be pleased to know that 'standstill' condition for Miss Morino and Mr Kusanagi has been corrected. They're at correct ages and living happily. Of course, there was some discomfort, but it was minor."

"So they're back to normal, then."

"Correct. Dr Fujimo's research and penance project came in handy." Suddenly grinning, Kalinin goes on. "Even more, our Information Bureau suppressed what Dr Berrigan and Mr Vogel had done, if only to protect Mrs Carson-Morganson's privacy. Especially in regards to Mr Carson's identity."

"So, what'll happen with them, sir?"

"There are only two options for this case, Lieutenant. Mr Carson can stay in Japan or he and Miss Chidori can go to US under guise of diplomats. Mr Chidori at UN Office has offered to sponsor Haruka along with Mr Carson."

"Wow. Never figured my Father-in-law would be able to do something like that."

In the ladies restroom, Kaname and Tessa are discussing Kaname and Sousuke's next stop. "So, you two are going to the hot springs Onken?"

"That we are, Tessa. Hopefully, nothing militaristic will happen."

"Hopefully, not. Oh, you'll be pleased to know that Intelligence has withdrawn charges against Lieutenant Sagara."

"Charges? What charges?"

"Remember Mr Mullion?" At Kaname's nod, Tessa goes on. "Well, Intelligence had filed charges against Lieutenant Sagara of vicious maiming. However, it turns out that if Lieutenant Sagara hadn't used a concussion grenade on Mr Mullion, he would have died from testicular cancer." At her wide eyes, Tessa nods and says, "That's right. Mr Mullion was in a highly-advanced stage of the cancer. Too advanced to be treated in usual means."

"So, Sousuke saved his life while using unusual means. Along with just plain mean."

"Yeah, well, at the time, Lieutenant Sagara didn't even know. Neither did Mr Mullion." Taking on a grin, Tessa then asks, "What are you and Lieutenant Sagara going to do next, Kaname? At the Onken, I mean."

"Resume the honeymoon. It's not like we'll come across trouble there. Big trouble, anyway." Smirking, she can't help but add, "Then again, trouble pretty much seems to know where Sousuke is most of the time, anyway."

"Oh yeah."

Back in Zunika's office, Haruka and Chip stun Becky and Zunika both with their decision. "Haruka and I would like to finish the trip, Becky."

"I've always wanted to go outside of Japan, Mother. It'll be the ultimate field test. There's so much in the world I'd like to see. Perhaps even keep Chip company."

"Haruka." Zunika's eyes start shedding tears before she regains her composure. "That's a splendid idea. I've hidden you away from the world for so long. But, keep in mind that not everywhere is friendly nor do they have electrical outlets in some places."

"I know. Which is why I'd been doing a side project of my own, Mother. I've fashioned a solar panel to collect solar energy that'll act as a power source and charger for our computers. Plus, with the GPS technology within Chip and I, we can't possibly get lost." Shrugging, Haruka adds, "As for unfriendly people, well, I guess we'll tap into that power line when we get to it."

"When do you want to leave?" Becky's eyes start shedding tears as she goes on. "I just saw my brother for the first time in years and now..."

Chip says, "We can always head out in two days, Becky. It's not like the world will end if we delay our departure slightly." Haruka nods her agreement before giggling. "Besides, I have yet to see Erin Kate and Kyle again."

"Don't you dare touch me, Kyle!"

"Kate! What's wrong? All I said was you look a little green around the gills!" Curious, they all look outside and see Kyle and Kate glaring at each other. Kate with indignant fury and Kyle with complete concern. With Erin right smack in the middle.

In a low voice, Kate replies, "I think I'm pregnant."

"Kate, I didn't hear that."

"I said I think I'm pregnant, Kyle!" Kate starts sniffling until she feels Kyle's arms around her. Starting to sob, she wraps her arms around him, saying, "I told you not to touch me, Kyle."

"I don't care, Kate. I'm glad you think you're pregnant. I've always wanted to see how I do as a Father."

"Kate..." Kate and Kyle suddenly jump at Becky's voice before weakly laughing. "Congratulations, you two." Erin catches sight of Chip and blinks before smiling.

"It's too early to tell for sure, Beckers. We could check when we get Chip back home, though."

"Chip's not coming home, Kyle. Not just yet, anyway. He and Haruka are going to finish what he'd set out to do before coming home." Her eyes glistening with tears, Becky adds, "When he does come home, we're going to party like never before. After all, if there's one thing a Carson doesn't do, it's back off from a challenge."

Concerned, Erin asks, "You sure, Becky? What if what had happened to Chip happens again? Could you really take the chance?"

"It won't, Erin." The woman turns at Chip's voice as the android goes on. "Miss Chidori had updated me with up-to-date technology and Haruka's developed her own project." Next thing Chip knows, Kate's looking around. "Something wrong, Kate?"

"Nah. I'm just wondering if Miss Chidori knows anything about the Argarus Security firm."

"As a matter of fact, Mrs Roberts, I spoke with a representative of Argarus before you all had arrived. I expressed interest in being a client and gladly referred those I hold analysis contracts with to Argarus. I think they'd be interested in being clients for Argarus." Zunika steps forward and adds, "Quite frankly, Argarus has a good reputation."

Later that afternoon, Sousuke and Kaname get ready to leave the house of Sagara after having changed the locks on the doors to make the house even more secure. Looking over at her beloved, Kaname finds herself curious.

"Sousuke?"

"Yeah, Kaname?"

"What can you tell me about the one that joked about the 'Cretans' Paradox' during the briefing before the tunnel mission? I mean, what was he or she like?"

"Tony was a good warrior. He also had a sense of humor unlike any other warrior. But, he did have his serious side. Oh, hello, Aunt Zunika, Haruka and Chip." Zunika smiles softly as she looks around the house's interior.

"It's been so long since I was in here, Sousuke. In fact, I even babysat you at times." Clearing her throat, she goes on. "I'd like to make you a job offer for if you decide to leave Mithril. Head Negotiator. Highest possible salary."

"I'll admit, it's tempting. But, what could I do with my qualifications, though? I mean, if I'm at a negotiating table and they don't want to negotiate or do business, what's it going to be? I pull out a gun and shoot them?"

"I pondered that as well and I think I found a solution. I can tutor you on non-lethal negotiations while you serve as family bodyguard. You've done a good job with Kaname and your son."

"I don't know what to say, Aunt Zunika."

"Just think about it, Sousuke. After all, where do you see yourself ten years from now? As a new Father and husband, you need to consider your future."

"I have a question about the position."

"Okay."

"Will I be required to do headhunting?"

"There will be some times when you'll be required to be a headhunter. And, no, I don't mean as in decapitating people." Next thing Zunika knows, Sousuke starts laughing in hilarity. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?" Sousuke manages to calm his raucous laughter in time to give his reply.

"Hmm, affirmative."

Curious, Haruka then asks, "When you realized how you felt about Kaname, and found out how she felt about you, how'd you feel?"

"Like I was on a minefield. Yet, at the same time, at peace with the knowledge. I guess I'd call it Cloud 9 in civilian terms of romance."

Kaname can only giggle in exasperation, knowing exactly how he can express how he feels in his own way. Blinking, she realizes that Becky and the others aren't with them.

"Chip, where're your sister and friends at?"

"They're at the hotel, resting up. Becky had decided they'd wait until Haruka and I had left out before heading back to the States." Curious, he then asks, "If Sousuke felt that way with you in his terms, could I feel that way with Haruka?"

"Sure. Just avoid the literal minefields. In Sousuke's case, that minefield was metaphorical."

"Strange metaphor, but also understandable, seeing what he'd gone through in the past." Reaching into her briefcase, Zunika adds, "I transferred the videos onto discs so you could watch them when you're both ready." Bringing out a slender case, she puts it into Sousuke's hands and says, "Your parents were wonderful people, Sousuke. They loved each other and they loved you."

"Thank you." Sousuke's voice was so quiet, only Chip and Haruka's audio sensors could pick it up. Next thing they know, Sousuke brings his head back up and turns toward the pictures.

Much to their surprise, he gives the pictures a salute. Without any preamble, Kaname joins him in the salute, as do the other three.

'We'll be back soon, Mom and Dad. We'll bring Sousuke Jr with us for vacations here.'

"Don't worry, Mr and Mrs Sagara. I'll take good care of your son, just like he takes good care of me.'

'Fumiko, Keiko, your son's grown into a fine young man. You should be proud of him for being very resilient throughout everything he's faced so far.'

'Thank you for watching over me, Mr and Mrs Sagara. Even though it was only in spirit, I think you were watching over me when I was powered down inside your home. Otherwise, Vogel would have had me in his clutches by now.'

'I wish I could have met you, Mr and Mrs Sagara. Mother was your friend and she said good things about you. I can tell that your son's a wonderful soul, as well as your daughter in law. Even more, your grandchildren will be wonderful.'

Ending the salute, the group of five quietly exit the house and Sousuke locks the door. Walking down the residence's staircase, Zunika catches sight of Roadwolf and smiles.

'I don't know what's so extraordinary about you, Roadwolf. But, I'm counting on you to keep my niece and nephew-in-law safe. Can you do that for me?' Much to Zunika's shock, a hissing sound comes from the car.

"Is Roadwolf alive or sentient at least?"

"No idea, Aunt Zunika. Sousuke's been rather puzzled if he should tell Tessa or Lieutenant Commander Kalinin. I think we should keep it quiet, just to be on the safe side. After all, Roadwolf did save our lives. The least we could do is not spread it around."

"It sounds sensible, Kaname." Wrapping her niece in a hug, Zunika adds, "I hope to see you both again." Releasing Kaname to hug Sousuke, she says, "Next time you come see me, please bring Sousuke Jr with you. I want to get a picture with him being held by the both of you."

"Roger." Sousuke and Kaname are stunned that they had spoken at the same time. So stunned, they look at each other before laughing nervously.

Zunika, on the other hand, is laughing in amusement. Warm, soft laughter soon comes out of Haruka's vocal speaker while Chip's mechanized guffaws have birds flying out of the trees.

"Chip, before we leave, we need to work on your laugh some more."

"Okay, Haruka. We can work on it on our way back, if you like."

"I'd like that. Bye, Kaname. Bye, Sousuke. Sayonara."

"Sayonara." The couple realizes they'd spoken at the same time again and blush.

Still amused, Zunika says, "You two were definitely meant for each other. You complete each other. Very, very well."

"Yeah, we do. Like I told Kaname, I'm here because she's been there for me. If I hadn't been assigned to her protection to begin with, who knows what would have happened?"

"Let's hope we never have to ponder that, Sousuke." Kaname gives Zunika a fond smile and says, "We'll keep in touch, Aunt Zunika."

"Oh yes. By all means, Kaname. Sousuke."

"Yes, Aunt Zunika?"

"Behave yourself."

"You may want to define 'behave' for him, Aunt Zunika. Sousuke's been very naughty of late. And, in a good way." Kaname laughs while Zunika catches her drift and grins.

"Kaname?"

"Yeah, Aunt Zunika?"

"Does Sousuke wear any of his holsters to bed when you two go to sleep?"

Zunika's words have the teen couple blushing profusely as they get into Roadwolf. Kaname, in the driver's seat, starts the engine and burns rubber. Without using the turbos.

As they watch the car speed away, Zunika asks, "Was it something I said or asked?"

Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Be on the lookout for the next chapter. Romance, intrigue, rivalry and madness abound at the Onken resort. Better get ready!


	4. Take Four: Onken Stay and Hawaiian Hijin

Honeymoon p 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic!, Kim Possible or Magnum P.I. Wish I did though.

Author's Notes: Well, here we are at Chapter Four. Will Sousuke and Kaname have a peacefully normal leg or will it be the usual antic-filled normal for the couple? You better get ready!

Take Four: Onken Stay and Hawaiian Hijinks

"Oh, I can't believe Aunt Zunika asked me that, Sousuke! I mean, wearing your holsters to bed? Isn't that just between the two of us? I mean, come on." An hour outside of Osaka and Kaname is starting to gripe about the embarrassment her Aunt had inflicted onto her and Sousuke before leaving the house of Sagara.

"Well, I gotta admit, it seems your Aunt is at the stage of life where she has to make her own fun."

"Oh?" Intrigued, Kaname snickers as she looks at her beloved as she drives Roadwolf to the couple's next stop. "And just how would you know, Sousuke?"

"Psychology is getting to be a bit of a hobby of mine lately. Especially since we came across 'you-know-who'. Along with his master."

"Seems you're getting newer hobbies every day, Sousuke. Also sounds like you're getting smarter by the day, Sous-kun." Seeing his gaze drop down to the case in his hands, she asks, "Wanna watch one, Sousuke? See what they have to say?"

"Affirmative. But, not here. Not now."

"When, Sousuke?" She can tell that Sousuke is eager to see his parents' faces, but that he is troubled still.

"When I feel like I'm ready, Kana-kun. Don't worry. I'll let you know." Giving her a reassuring smile, he adds, "Besides, you gotta admit that what Aunt Zunika said was pretty damn funny."

"Yeah, like you said, she's at the point where she has to make her own fun." Looking down at the car's dashboard, she soon notices something missing. "Um, Sousuke, you know how cars have indicators?"

"Yeah, why?"

"We're missing a fuel gauge. I'm surprised we haven't run out of gas yet."

"Let me check something here." Opening the car's storage at his knees, he brings out a small booklet. "Here we are. 'Mithril Urban Personnel Carrier'." Thumbing through the book until he finds what he's looking for, he lightly chuckles.

"Sousuke?"

"I don't know how, nor do I want to know, but the car is powered by a palladium reactor core."

"But, that's impossible! A palladium reactor is as big as an Arm Slave's ass! Isn't it?"

"I'd say that's a fairly accurate estimation of the reactor core's size."

"Well then how?"

"We'll have to talk with the Captain next time we get a chance to do so." Next thing they know, the communications console warbles.

Keying the system, Kaname replies, "Kaname."

_"Hi, Kana-chan!"_ Kyoko's beaming face and chipper voice has Kaname and Sousuke chuckling fondly. _"How's the 'moon going?"_

"It's going pretty good now, Kyoko. We just left Osaka and seeing my Aunt Zunika. Along with Sousuke's family home." Kyoko's eyes can't help but go wide as she squeals.

_"Oh, wow! What does it look like?"_

"It's fashioned after a Shinto temple, yet with a homier appearance. Where's Shinji at?"

_"Oh, he's around somewhere with Kurz. Oh, Melissa wants to say hi right quick."_ Next thing the young lady knows, the cantankerous Sergeant Major roughly pushes her aside, a lit cigarette in her mouth and begins her verbal assault.

_"When the hell are you two going to get around to __doing __the fun shit, Sousuke?__ And I don't mean as in your idea of fun shit, either. I'm talking about fucking, dammit!__"_

_ "Melissa!"_

_ "Sorry, Kyoko. But I gotta do it like this. Sousuke and Kaname were dancing around their feelings for too long as it was and now they're using work as an excuse to get out of being intimate with each other."_

"It's not that, Melissa. More like, there's something that won't let us be intimate without something at least going screwy." Snickering, Kaname adds, "If anything, it at least spices up our sex lives."

_ "Ha! The way you two are going about it, I can't tell what is your sex life or not."_ Grinning meanly now, the buxom young woman adds, _"That's why, for the remainder of your time on honeymoon, you leave the communicator off. This is your time__, you two."_ Her grin soon turns introspective as she shakes her head.

Seeing it, Kaname asks, "You okay, Melissa?"

_"Yeah, I'm okay, Kaname. I was just thinking about the time my old m__an tried to marry me off to that__ dingbat Harvard grad.__"_

"Do you regret it, Melissa?"

_"Hell no, Sousuke!"_ Melissa's laughter has both teens convinced that she's not entirely truthful. _"Well, I do have some regret, but not because of in the past. If I'm going to marry somebody, it's going to be because I love him. Not because of my Dad."_ Sneakily grinning, Melissa then asks, _"Hey, Kaname, think I can borrow Sousuke?__ Since he's such a stud in your eyes, I think I'd like a try.__"_

"Melissa!" Melissa's raucous laughter has Kaname sighing in relief. "No way would you do that, Melissa. Sousuke's like a brother to you."

_"Damn straight! If anything, he's like the little brother I never__ got to__ ha__ve__ So, on that note, have fun, you two.__"_

Smiling softly, Kaname reaches over to Sousuke's hand and gingerly strokes his fingers. "Oh, we certainly will, Melissa. We certainly will. Anything else?"

_"Matter of fact, there is. It seems a certain mercenary has become a celebrity of sorts by appearing on the news and killing a bunch of psychos."_ Melissa's face takes a scowl as she says, _"You know better than that, Sousuke."_

"They must have been covering the scene when I arrived. Not a problem. I'm pretty sure the resort is isolated away from the newsfeeds. We'll just lie low until it blows over and they just let it fade from their minds."

_"I don't know if it'll work that way, Sousuke. There's already a reward out for information about who you are. If AMALGAM were to learn you're still alive, they could very well change that."_

"Then they'll simply have to die, Melissa." Kaname's voice trembles with rage as she goes on. "Those _baka_jerks have it coming."

_"Whoa. Never knew you could be so bloodthirsty, Kaname."_

"I'm not being bloodthirsty, Melissa. But, if they want to kill Sousuke, they better get ready to die."

_"Amen to that, Kaname."_ Her face now taking a concerned look, the Sergeant Major then asks, _"Are you sure it'll blow over, Sousuke?"_

"Affirmative. I'm pretty sure the next big story to hit the airwaves will be about some celebrity going on a rampage of insane depravity or going into rehab for treatment. It's not a problem."

_"Yeah, you're probably right, Sousuke. __We'll see you when you get back to Tokyo, Kaname. __We're already on the way back from Merida Island. __Oh, be sure to fuck her some more, Sousuke."_

"Roger. Later, Melissa." Melissa winks as the screen fades off and Roadwolf approaches the Onken. "Well, here we are, Kana-kun."

"Hmm, sounds like paradise, Sous-kun. I can hardly wait to see you in the hot springs with me."

"Likewise, honey."

Upon arrival at the Onken, Kaname pulls Roadwolf to a stop in front of the building and shuts off the engine. Once the couple steps out of the car, they go to the front edge of the car and hold hands with one another. Kaname then releases Sousuke's hand and goes to Roadwolf's trunk.

Roadwolf's trunk, saying, "It's been a while since we were here together, Sousuke. You don't have any booby-traps lurking around, do you?"

"Maybe one or two. Mainly perimeter guns and some concussion mines just outside of the compound, on the most probable path of infiltration."

"I see. What about the bath area?"

"Armor plating embedded into the wall. Making drilling through impossible."

"Good. Which means we won't have to worry about nosy perverts then."

"Affirmative." Suddenly, he's surprised when Kaname wraps her arms around him and gives him a big kiss.

"Mmm, how'd I get to be so lucky to get you, Sousuke?"

"Partially, it was you being your sweet and strong self."

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner, Sousuke?"

"I wasn't really trying. It just happened to hit me like an anti-personnel landmine in hostile territory one night."

'Only you, Sousuke! Only you could equate romance with mine fields! Never change!' Giving him a soft smile with that thought, she wraps him in her embrace and pecks his scarred cheek. "Looks like it'll just be the two of us, then."

"Yeah."

Placing his hands on her rear as he traps her lips into another kiss, he gives her buns a gentle squeeze, prompting Kaname to moan sensually into his mouth. Breaking from the kiss, he places his forehead against hers and sees her smiling seductively.

"Hmm, we need to kiss and fuck once we get inside."

"Roger." Lifting his giggling bride into his arms, Sousuke pays no mind to her playful slugs to his torso, knowing that she enjoys being in his arms. Five minutes later, Kaname stops giggling and softly kisses Sousuke's cheek.

"You can put me down, Sousuke. For now at least."

"Okay." Suddenly, before he can do so, Sousuke looks around, his usual scowl present.

"Sousuke? What is it?"

"I can't help but feel we're not exactly alone, Kaname."

"It's probably your combat-honed instincts working overtime still. We're in a secluded spot where no one can possibly reach us." Giving him a lightly amused groan, she adds, "I just wish they'd take a break for once. I'd say they've earned them for doing such a good job of keeping you and me alive. A very, very good job."

In an adjacent spring on the grounds, a woman sighs happily as she says, "Now this is how life should be lived. Now, if only Lieutenant Sagara can relax just as well. He's certainly running me through a wringer when it comes to watching over them." Chuckling lightly, Wraith then says, "Both he and his wife are, for that matter. Hard to believe she started as his assignment. Oh well. Maybe this will do him some kind of good."

Back outside, Sousuke gently places Kaname back onto her feet, asking, "Shall I carry you into the room, my darling?"

"Only if you want to."

"I do." Giving her a grin, he asks, "Do you want to be carried in?"

Catching onto his game, Kaname smirks and replies, "I do." Without warning, both teens contract a dire case of the giggles.

Upon arriving at the lodging, Sousuke opens the door and begins carrying Kaname into the room. "Well, honeymoon, take four."

Contentedly purring, Kaname replies, "Action." Without further warning, Sousuke slides his lips against Kaname's, prompting a tongue wrestling match between the two of them.

Carrying her over to the bed, Sousuke gently puts her down onto the bed and lies down on top of her. With their lips still locked together, Kaname reaches down to her beloved's pants and brings the zipper down. Reaching into his pants, she quickly finds Sousuke's member and strokes it to hardness.

"I can't wait any more, Sousuke. Fuck me, please."

"Roger." Reaching up into his wife's skirt, Sousuke soon finds the lack of panties on his wife's body. "I see you've prepared for this leg."

"Hmm, oh yes. While we're here, all we're going to do is fuck, fuck and fuck some more."

"Only one thing to say to that, Kaname." His face taking a perverted leer, he adds, "Let the fucking begin." Without further warning, Sousuke thrusts himself into Kaname's entrance and begins pumping his blue-haired bride quickly.

As he pumps, Kaname giggles as she runs her fingers over his shirt-covered back. "Yes, just like that, Sousuke." Shortly, she starts feeling an orgasm coming on. Unable to suppress a scream, she lets it out. "Oh, yes! Sousuke, yes!" Feeling his climax is near, she softly whispers, "Do it, Sousuke. Let it go, my love." Upon feeling his ejaculate enter her womb, she lunges up and kisses Sousuke soundly as his pumping tapers off.

Feeling worn out from the day and the hot sex he'd just performed, Sousuke withdraws himself from his wife's love canal and lies down beside her. "It's been a hell of a day."

Reaching over to stroke his chest, Kaname replies, "Yeah, it has. We'll check out the open air bath in the morning." Yawning, she then adds, "Night, honey."

"Night, sweetie." With that, the young couple falls asleep in each others' arms.

In the next room over, Wraith is finding it hard to get any kind of rest. Covering her head with a pillow, the Intelligence operative grumbles nonsensically as she twists and turns in the bed.

Upon awakening the next morning, they go out to the open-air baths, fully nude and with towels in hand. Giving a snicker, Kaname grins as she looks over at her beloved. "This is going to be the best leg of our honeymoon, Sousuke."

"I couldn't agree more, Kaname. The weather is pleasant, the sun is shining and the humidity is light. Even more, the foliage around the wall here is thick, allowing us to avoid the possibility of a sniper attack as well. What's not to love?"

Kaname can't help but burst into giggles upon hearing it. "Only you, Sousuke. Only you can mix pleasant weather with military tactics. Romantic." Giving him a peck on his scarred cheek, she adds, "I wouldn't have you any other way. Nor would I want you to change."

With that, Sousuke starts cleaning his beloved, starting with her front and moving around to her back. When he's done with her upper portion, she tends to his. As she finishes with his front, she goes to his back and winces at the scarring there.

'Guess I better clean his back gently. These scars and old wounds may have healed over, but I don't want to chance hurting Sousuke any more than he's already been.' Putting the scrub brush down, she picks up a washcloth and gingerly wipes it along Sousuke's back after soaking it in soapy water. When she's done, they both go over to the pool of water and step in, immersing themselves up to their necks before going face to face.

Noticing the proximity of their groins to each other, the two suddenly get the urge to do more mating. While they bathe. As the two copulate, they find the setting to be very romantic. The hot spring, with the two of them in it with nothing around. It's paradise to them.

In the next spring over, Wraith can't help but overhear and clamps her hands over her ears, not wanting to hear anymore. If only to keep her from thinking hentai thoughts. 'They're definitely running me through a wringer! But, in a way, I'm kinda jealous. They have each other and I haven't had a man in years! Damn!'

Back in their spring, the couple's lovemaking is reaching new heights, thanks to the extremely warm water. Along with higher decibels of volume.

In the next bath over, the Intelligence operative is cursing in Korean. "Damn! Now I need to get more fucking cotton balls just to keep from hearing their fucking!" Rest would not come easily for the operative that day or evening.

The couple's noisy antics continue for three days until a rain storm hits the Onken. As the rain pounds heavily on the roof, Kaname cringes as she holds onto Sousuke, recalling memories of that night in Tokyo when the two had been separated by Mithril High Command. Much to her delight, Sousuke has her ensconced in his arms from behind, as they both look out at the driving rain.

"I like this, Sousuke. You holding me, that is." Feeling his lips nuzzle her cheek and trail down to her neck, Kaname can't help but giggle as she says, "I like that as well, honey." Upon feeling his strong yet gentle hands cupping her breasts and start massaging them, she grins. "You're on the right track so far, soldier boy."

"I like holding you in my arms, Kaname. You looked vulnerable and looked like you could use some company." Not once does he break stride in kneading her breasts.

"Well, I love the company I'm in right now. You're sweet." Pecking the underside of his chin, she goes on. "I think this will be a good time to watch those discs, Sousuke."

"You sure, Kaname?"

"Yeah. Besides, I wanna see how good you had life before it went so horribly wrong."

"Okay. Just gotta see if we have a player here that'll play the discs." A short search proves fruitless, as the room is not equipped with a DVD player that can play DVD-Rs. Or a player period. "So much for that idea. Guess we'll have to wait till we get home, Kana-kun."

"Aw, nuts. Well, there's one other way we can pass the time, Sous-kun." Turning toward him, she has him back toward a wall before jumping into his arms. "Fuck me, Sousuke. Fuck me till I scream." Suddenly, she feels him placing her back down. "Sousuke?"

"Wanna try a different position? It's something I read in a book once. It's called doggy-style."

"Hmm, sounds interesting. Okay, let's try it."

"Roger." Two hours and twenty minutes later, the couple is deep asleep. Kaname had enjoyed the new position and is snuggled into Sousuke's side.

The next day, the rainstorm had tapered off enough for Sousuke and Kaname to go out into the open air baths. Before they can go out to the bath, a knock on the door prompts them to stop.

"Who is it?" Kaname looks over at Sousuke as if asking, 'Did you do this?' and Sousuke shrugs as if replying, 'Negative.'

"Room service."

"Strange. I could have sworn we put up the 'do not disturb' sign."

"You did, Mrs Sagara. It's Wraith. We need to talk." Once Kaname has opened the door, Wraith is standing there, wearing a scowl on her face. "I tried to be patient with you both, but you're getting on my nerves with your sexual racket. So, when you two leave, I'll stay behind and try to recoup my sanity."

"Okay. Have a good time." Wraith can't help but be stunned at Sousuke's words. What floors her is what he says next. "It'll be nice to get away from a nosy snoop that has nothing better to do with her time." That statement has Wraith falling backwards onto the floor, an incredulous look on her face.

Wraith then springs back onto her feet and shakes her head. "I still don't see why High Command agreed to your proposed deal, Lieutenant. You know full well that the protection of 'Angel' should be handled by Intelligence instead of Tactical."

"Oh sure. That's why you were being used as target practice that night, Wraith. Because you're 'better' at personal protection than Sousuke was." Rolling her eyes in an amused manner, Kaname adds, "Like I told Sousuke when I trimmed his hair, he's the only one I'll ever trust with my safety."

"Didn't you also say you'll never forgive him?"

"Yeah, I did. But, I forgave him when I fell in love with him. Just haven't gotten around to telling him yet. So, if you'll excuse us, I have some 'forgiving' to do." As she closes the door in Wraith's face, she catches sight of the woman's dropped jaw and snickers.

Once the door is closed, Wraith recovers her jaw and shakes her head. "I should have listened to my Father and become a dental assistant. That way I wouldn't have had to put up with this nonsense."

In Hawaii, a man is receiving a phone call from his boss and friend.

_"Jonathan, how are you doing today?"_

"I'm doing well, Mr Masters."

_"Good. And Thomas?"_

"Mr Magnum is currently on another case, involving smuggling of classic military arms."

_"That's an interesting change of pace.__ Thomas doesn't quite strike me as an average adult."_

"On that, I concur, Mr Masters." Robin Masters' laughter rings out through the phone's earpiece before he gets to the heart of the matter.

_"Do you remember my friend, Shunya Chidori?"_

"Yes, he's the UN's Commissioner of Environmental Matters."

_"Well, in any case, his eldest daughter's on her honeymoon with her husband. __Shunya __and I ran into each other while I was in New York and he told me all about the young man she married."_

"Does he believe the young man to be a danger to her?"

_"No, nothing like that, Jonathan. If anything, he's her protector first, love second. At least in his order. In any case, I told Shunya that she and her husband are welcome to stay at 'Robin's Nest' for the duration of their stay in Hawaii."_

"And Mr Magnum's role in this?"

_"He's to serve as bodyguard for the both of them. The young man may be protective of her, but even a protector has to have someone covering his back."_

"Very good, Mr Masters. I'll inform Mr Magnum upon his arrival."

"Inform me of what, Higgins?" At the sound of Thomas Magnum's voice, Jonathan Higgins jumps and yelps at the same time.

"Do you mind, Magnum? Mr Masters is on the phone right now." Putting the earpiece to his ear once more, Higgins winces as he listens and hands the handset to Magnum. "He wants to talk to you."

"Sure." Accepting the handset, he says, "What's up, Mr Masters? Uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah sure. The more the merrier. Their names? Sousuke and Kaname Sagara. Okay. Arriving in Honolulu at twelve noon tomorrow at the International Airport. Great. I'll meet them there in the Cherokee. They have their own transport and will be arriving in helicopter. Great. I'll just lead them here in the Ferrari. It'll be great."

Hanging up the phone, he leans against the desk and asks, "What's the first order of business for the couple, Higgins?"

"We need to set up the guest bedroom on the third level. Also, space must be made in the garage for the couple's car. I'll leave that detail to you."

"Okay. I'll call Rick and have him cater their dishes for the welcome feast. TC can handle their tourism."

"And what will you be doing in all this?"

"Wrapping up this case. I got a good lead on a broker dealing with classic arms. He can get you anything for the right amount."

"An arms broker? That can get anything?" At Magnum's nod and smirk, Higgins can only ask one thing. "What is the world coming to?"

The next day, in the sky above Japan, the Mithril MH-53 Pave Mare is just now lifting up into the sky when a crewman of the helo walks toward Roadwolf and the young couple.

"Mrs Sagara, you've got an incoming transmission from Merida Island."

"Thanks, Sergeant Wilkins. I'll take it in the car."

"Yes ma'am." Giving Sousuke a quick nod, Wilkins returns to the front of the Pave Mare while Kaname gets into Roadwolf.

"Kaname." Upon seeing Tessa's smiling face, Kaname smiles back and says, "Hey, Tessa. What're you smiling about, Tessa?"

_"I've__ just gotten word that Kyoko, Shinji and Sousuke Jr are back in Tokyo, with Sgt Major Mao and Sgt Weber__ resuming their__ surveillance__ post. I've also__ got a transmission for you from your Father. It concerns your Hawaiian trip."_

"Okay. Let's see what he has to say."

_"Very good__, Kaname__. Mr Chidori, you're on."_

_ "Hi, Kaname."_

Upon hearing her Father's voice, Kaname can't help but smile softly as she replies, "Hi, Daddy. How are you doing today?"

_"Oh, pretty good, considering I woke up about two in the morning, just so I can talk to my eldest daughter. How was the Onken?"_

"Mmm, it was wonderful. The only drawback is the lack of a DVD player that can play DVD-Rs."

_"Well, I've got some good news for you on that. Remember Robin Masters?"_

"The writer friend of yours? Barely. Why?"

_"I ran into him the other day while he was here in New York and I told them about you getting married."_

"Did you tell him that we have a baby too?"

_"Oh, heavens no. I didn't want to give my friend a heart attack."_ Kaname can't help but start laughing, with Shunya right behind her. _"No, I'll leave that to you.__ In any case, the both of you will be staying at his Hawaiian manor as his personal guests. __ Oh, is Sousuke about?"_

"Right here, Mr Chidori."

_"Very good. Sousuke, I know you're an exceedingly capable young man__, but even young men of your caliber need to be able to relax. So, while you're at 'Robin's Nest', you and Kaname will be under the __protection of a private investigator currently living on the grounds." _ The tone in Shunya's voice brooks no dissent.

"Understood, Mr Chidori. Can he be trusted?"

_"He can be trusted, but be on your guard around him at all times. He's been known to mooch off his friends and play pranks on them at times."_

Curious, Kaname asks, "What's his name, Daddy?"

_"Thomas Magnum. I've got some of his dossier here. Vietnam veteran, Navy Intelligence, former SEAL. Lost his Father at an early age due to an incident at sea. Yadda, yadda, yadda."_

"Okay. I guess he's going to be meeting us upon arrival."

_"That he is, Kaname. Oh, Ayame wants to talk to you. Hold on. Whoa!"_ The thud in the background has Kaname and Sousuke both concerned as Ayame's perky voice comes through. With a hint of a pleading whine within.

_ "Kaname, take me with you, please!"_

"How can I do that, Ayame? You're living on America's east coast, not the west coast."

_"__Oh please? __I've never even been to Hawaii before. I want to see Pearl Harbor and pay my respects to those that died there__."_Ayame's voice is so pitiful, Kaname can't help but feel sorry for her. Looking to her side, she sees Sousuke grinning and smirks back at him.

"I'll see what I can do about getting you a flight out, but I make no promises."

_"Oh, thank you, Kaname!"_

"Keep this is mind, though. This is my honeymoon, my time with Sousuke. If we want to be alone at any time, we want to be alone. Got it?"

_"Got it, sis."_

"Good. Now put Daddy back on."

_"Okay."_ A minute later, Shunya comes back to the phone and chuckles.

_"I don't know what you told her, but she's dancing like a little hula girl."_

As Sousuke is able to stifle a laugh from the thought, Kaname giggles as she asks, "Could you take time off from the UN, Daddy? So you and Ayame can come to Hawaii?"

_"Well, I don't see why not. No pending items at the moment, so I guess it'll be all right__ for us__ to take a __UN __Lear out to over there. But, I need to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, just in case something pops up.__ Which means I'll be leaving Ayame with you two if it happens.__"_

"Sounds like a plan, Daddy. See you both in Hawaii." Ending transmission, Kaname slumps back and sighs. "Now that's just wonderful. Not only do we have to babysit Ayame whenever Dad has to go, we have to keep our lovemaking down while they're with us at 'Robin's Nest'. It's going to be a real drag, Sousuke."

"Well, hopefully it won't get any nuttier than it's already been."

"Here's to hoping, Sousuke." Yawning as she stretches, Kaname leans across Roadwolf's central console and wraps her arms around her beloved husband. "For right now, though, let's catch some sleep. Our last night there really wiped me out."

"Roger." Wrapping his arms around his wife, he gently brings her closer to him, burying his face in her blue hair. "Night, honey."

"Night, sweetie."

Up in the cockpit, Sergeant Bryan Wilkins and Lieutenant Grace Montoya are swapping barbs playfully while the Hispanic Mithril Lieutenant pilots the Pave Mare.

"I'm just saying the Dodgers will take the pennant this year, Grace."

"In your dreams, Bryan. It's going to be the Cubs that take it."

"Oh yeah? How about a little bet then?"

"Talk to me, Bry."

"You win, I'll learn how to fly a helo. I win, you cook me a meal from your heritage for a week."

"What if we both lose?" Bryan could swear that Grace has a slightly rosy blush on her cheeks as she asked him that question. "It has to be something we can both agree on."

"If we both lose, we fuck, _mi amiga_."

Smiling at her Caucasian lover, Grace replies, "You're on!" Blowing him a kiss, Grace quickly notices the Pave Mare's fuel indicator and swears in Spanish. "We're nearly at bingo fuel, Bry. Call for a gas passer."

"Right." Toggling the switch, he says, "This is 'Honeymoon Lift' looking for a gas passer. Any nearby?"

_"Honeymoon Lift, this is Gas Passer Tango. What's your sitrep and location?"_

"Gas Passer Tango, we're almost at bingo fuel. Right now, we're two hundred miles from the Japanese mainland, heading northeast toward Hawaii."

_"Copy, 'Honeymoon Lift'. We're just up ahead of you and have you on our radar. Drop down to Angels 1-5-0-0 and hold current speed."_

"Roger that." Nodding to Grace, he makes a quick notation regarding the midair refuel that is about to commence. Five minutes later, Bryan sees the C-17 plane, it's fuel boom right below it. "Gas Passer Tango, this is 'Honeymoon Lift'. We have you in sight, over."

_"Roger that, Honeymoon Lift. You're clear to approach."_

Within two minutes, the Pave Mare's in-flight fuel intake is securely sealed on the fueling cap and receiving the fuel needed to keep the Pave Mare's turbines going. Within five minutes, the refuel is complete and Bryan can't resist a parting joke.

"It's just too bad you couldn't change our oil for us while we were at it."

_"Nah. Our insurance wouldn't be able to cover it__. Best leave that to the ground guys. Later, Honeymoon Lift."_

"Roger that, Gas Passer Tango." As the Pave Mare separates from the plane, Grace activates the ECS on the helo and resumes her plotted course.

"Now that we've got fuel, Bry, what were we discussing?"

"Sex." As they discuss their plans, neither of them notice Sousuke's head moving toward Kaname's or Kaname's head moving toward Sousuke's.

The next morning, the Pave Mare is coming up on Honolulu and the sun's rays stir Sousuke and Kaname both from slumber. As both teens stretch, Sousuke can't help but notice his wife's form as she stretches her arms upward.

"Good morning, Sousuke."

"Good morning, Kaname."

"Hmm, I never slept so good beforehand." Looking around in the Pave Mare, she recalls the helicopter's usual designation of 'Geybo' and finds herself curious about 'Teywas'. "Sousuke, since 'Geybo' is the Pave Mare type, what type is the 'Teywas' helicopter?"

"The 'Teywas' helicopters are the American RAH-66 Comanche attack helicopters. They were to be the replacement for the Apache attack helicopters."

"They were?"

"Affirmative. Due to budgetary constraints, the American Military selected to discontinue the Comanche program."

"But Mithril felt the Comanche program could be useful."

"Affirmative." Before Sousuke can say anything else, Sergeant Wilkins comes back into the cargo area wearing a smile on his face.

"Coming up on Honolulu now, Lieutenant and Mrs Sagara."

"Thanks, Sergeant." As Wilkins heads back into the cockpit, Sousuke and Kaname both step out of Roadwolf and fully stretch out their bodies. After all, so many hours in a car can give a body a case of stiffness.

Upon being informed they're about to land, the couple then get back into Roadwolf and feel the Pave Mare touch down onto the tarmac. When the helo's rear door open's and reaches the tarmac, Sousuke eases Roadwolf out of the helo's massive belly and onto the tarmac. As he drives around the Pave Mare's front, he gives them the 'clear' signal and the helo heads toward a nearby hangar.

Right at that time, Kaname spots a man standing in front of a red Ferrari and wearing a blue 'Dodgers' baseball cap. "Sousuke, I think our welcome wagon's here already." As Sousuke pulls Roadwolf to a stop, the man walks forward and leans down once the car's stopped.

"Mr and Mrs Sagara?"

"We are. Mr Magnum, we presume."

"Indeed I am, Mrs Sagara. Thomas Magnum, at your service."

"I'm Kaname and this is Sousuke."

"You're kinda young to be married, aren't ya?"

"Well, what can I say? Sparks fly between two people long enough and an inferno of passion will eventually erupt." Giving Sousuke a slight smirk, she then adds, "Of course, if one's not familiar with romance, it could take a while."

"I see. Well, you two ready to go to 'Robin's Nest'?" At their nods, Magnum grins and says, "I'll show you the way. I just hope you can keep up with the Ferrari." At that, the cocky PI gets into the Ferrari and starts it's engine. Without signaling them, he peels out onto the tarmac and away from them.

"Kaname, strap yourself on in, please. We're about to go very fast."

"Strapped in already, my love." Next thing Kaname knows, Sousuke hits Roadwolf's turbo chargers and the car takes off after the Ferrari. Within seconds, the sleek black car catches up to the red sports car and quickly overtakes it. "Sousuke, this is not a race. We don't know how to get there, Mr Magnum does."

"I know, honey. Just letting the man know it's rude to not give a Specialist and his wife advance warning of his intentions." Kaname's giggling has Sousuke lightly grinning as he adds, "Of course, that was kind of fun too."

"When we get back home, we should enter Roadwolf into the Tokyo Grand Prix."

"Nah. That'd be unethical, Kaname. It'd be unfairly no contest. Those other cars would be no match for Roadwolf's turbines."

"Yeah, you've got a point there. But, you know, it's an interesting idea." As the couple lightly laughs, Kaname looks outside the passenger window and smiles at seeing the flora and fauna of the island. "I've always wanted to come here, Sousuke. Just like Ayame. It's paradise."

"Hmm." Looking over at his wife, Sousuke sees her quickly blush upon turning back toward him.

"What are you thinking about, Sous-kun?"

"Oh, just how you'd look wearing a hula-girl outfit. Minus the coconut top, of course."

Blushing rosily, Kaname screams, "HENTAI!" Kaname's mock outrage soon turns to amusement as she seductively smiles at her husband. "Well, you know, I can always learn some 'exotic' dance styles."

In the Ferrari, Magnum can only shake his head as he thinks, 'This is going to be a fun time. I'm close to wrapping up this case and the Ferrari is no longer the fastest car on the island.' Much to his surprise, the black car starts slowing down and Magnum pulls up alongside them.

"That's some car you got there, Mr and Mrs Sagara."

"Thank you!" Kaname giggles as she pecks Sousuke on his scarred cheek and adds, "Never underestimate a car like this one, Mr Magnum!"

"Somehow, I think it's the driver, not the car." Kaname's laughter rings out as Magnum takes the lead and eases off on the gas.

Fifteen minutes later, both cars arrive on the grounds. As they drive alone the gravel driveway, the Sagaras see a man doing Tai Chi exercises at the main house and two dogs running alongside the Ferrari. When the Ferrari stops, Sousuke stops Roadwolf right behind it. Just as the two dogs near the Ferrari, they veer away from it and Magnum steps out, a dog whistle in his mouth.

'What's with the dog whistle?' is the thought both teens share as they step out of Roadwolf. Next thing they know, the man they saw is walking toward them and Kaname smiles. With the man returning the smile.

"Kaname Chidori, as I live and breathe."

"Hi, Uncle Jon." Wrapping him in a hug, she feels him gently thumping her back and giggles as she steps back. "Uncle Jon, this is my husband, Sousuke. Sousuke, my 'Uncle Jon'."

Bowing, 'Uncle Jon' replies, "Hello, Sousuke. I'm Jonathan Quayle Higgins the 3rd. Welcome to 'Robin's Nest'. You've already met Mr Magnum. I do hope he didn't give you any trouble in getting here."

"Negative. We were more or less able to keep up with him."

"Ah, very good. You two will be staying in the main house in the guest bedroom upstairs and your car can be parked in the garage with Mr Masters' other cars."

"Will Uncle Robin be here as well, Uncle Jon?"

"I'm afraid not, Kaname. Mr Masters is currently on a book signing tour on the American mainland. Particularly in NYC."

"That explains Dad's communication with us during the flight."

"Yes, I'd imagine so. I hope the flight was not very expensive."

"No need to worry, Mr Higgins. My employers handled the logistics of our flight here."

"Very good. However, under the circumstances, I think I'm going to need a stiff drink here soon." Catching sight of the dog whistle in Magnum's hand, Higgins rolls his eyes and remarks, "No wonder the lads didn't attack you. I hate to admit it, Magnum, but you are getting smarter for such a juvenile man."

'Ouch! That would hurt him!' Kaname's thought is disturbed when she feels something cold and wet against her rear end. 'It's not Sousuke. He's much warmer than this!' Before she can strike, Higgins gives a chuckle.

"Zeus, away." As the Doberman backs away from Kaname, she turns around and looks at the dog.

"Oh, you're such a hentai, Zeus. Bad dog."

"Zeus, patrol." As the Doberman scampers away, Higgins bows towards Kaname and says, "Sorry about the lad. He's unusually affectionate toward new females he comes across. Apollo is just the same, but he must be preoccupied right now."

"Oh, I understand. At least he's not stealing panties." Giggling as she bumps her hip against Sousuke's, she adds, "Thinking of, Sousuke has yet to actually steal my panties."

Magnum can't keep it in any longer and starts guffawing when Higgins' eyes go wide. Right then, the house's phone rings. Reaching within his robe, Higgins brings out a handset and turns it on.

"This is Higgins."

_"Higgy-baby, this is TC. Tell Magnum and your guests to make a hole if you please. I'm about to land."_

"Theodore Calvin, you better not be planning what I think you're planning."

_"Got no choice, Higgy-baby. I got two more guests for you. They just arrived at the airport__ twenty__ minutes__ ago__ and hired me to fly them here."_

"Very well. I'll let them know." Turning off the handset, he turns to Magnum and says, "Theodore's helicopter is about to land on the grounds. You and the Sagaras may want to move back toward the guest house."

"Okay. Sousuke, Kaname, let's move so TC can land." Seconds later, a Hughes 500 painted in red, yellow and black stripes starts landing. On the side of the helicopter, the words 'Island Hoppers' can be seen on the small helicopter's fuselage. Once the helicopter has touched down, it's engine starts winding down and a massive African-American man exits the pilot's side and opens the rear door. What they see next causes Sousuke and Kaname's eyes to go wide. Shunya, wearing a very loud Hawaiian shirt and even louder golf pants and Ayame wearing a blue tank top and green shorts.

"Daddy! Ayame!" Laughing, Kaname runs forward and wraps Shunya in a hug before hugging her younger sister.

"Hello, Kaname. How's your 'special time' going for you so far?"

"It's being a memorable experience so far, Daddy. When did you guys get in?"

"About the same time as you and Sousuke left the airport."

"Aww, nuts. If we'd known when you'd be arriving, we'd have given you both a ride in the car."

"That's alright, Kaname. There was no way you could have known." Turning toward Higgins, Shunya says, "Been a while, Jonathan."

"Likewise, Shunya." Higgins can't help chuckle as he remarks, "You've grown, Ayame."

"Who the heck are you?" Ayame's question has Shunya chuckling and Higgins sputtering.

"You met him a long time ago, Ayame. This is Jonathan Higgins. He's the caretaker of this estate."

"Oh. So he's the living corpse you speak of all the time, Daddy." Ayame's quip has Magnum and TC laughing raucously while Kaname and Sousuke try stifling their snickers. Shunya and Higgins, however, are not amused. At least by appearances.

"Sorry about that, Jonathan. I never knew she heard me….." Shunya's voice breaks off into laughter before he can go on any further. Rolling his eyes, Higgins can't help but laugh as well.

That night, inside the main house's dining room, Higgins tells the group a story from his past. The story is so long-winded, Kaname and Ayame both have a hard time in keeping their eyes open while Magnum, Shunya and TC are fully asleep. Sousuke, on the other hand, is listening intently to Higgins' story.

"On the bridge of Ko Se Rei that day, I learned a very important lesson. Never try working on the bridge while standing on a support strut."

"Sounds kind of like the time in Afghanistan when I first learned to fire an RPG-7, only it wound up knocking me down."

"How old were you at the time, Sousuke?"

"About eight and half years old, Mr Higgins."

Nodding as he pours a shot of Brandy into a glass, Higgins replies, "Not quite like that, dear boy, but close enough." Drinking down the Brandy, he then asks, "When do you expect to give Kaname a child?"

"We already have one so far, sir." Sousuke's casual reply has Higgins coughing upon the drink going down the wrong pipe.

When he catches his breath, he then asks, "How old is the lad?"

Beaming proudly, Sousuke replies, "Four months, sir." Reaching into his shorts' rear pocket, he brings out a chained wallet and opens it. The first thing in sight is Sousuke, Kaname and their son together. The two teens smiling happily and Sousuke Jr sound asleep.

Drunkenly chuckling, Higgins pours another shot of Brandy and says, "He's going to look like you. Aside from your scar, of course." Knocking back the drink, he asks, "Have your parents seen the lad yet?"

"Negative. They died when I was eight years old."

"My sincerest condolences to you on your loss." Higgins' tone takes a solemn tone, even with his being drunk, before he chuckles and adds, "You turned out rather well, given the circumstances."

"I'd like to think so, sir."

"So, who raised you after your parents died?"

"I can't really give you his name, but everyone called him 'Tiger'."

"The brilliant strategist that fought against the Soviets that were occupying Afghanistan?"

"Affirmative, sir."

"Was he responsible for your scar, Sousuke?"

"Negative, sir. The scar happened before I came across him."

"I see. How'd you meet up with him?"

"I was supposed to assassinate him. A rival Afghani warlord was conspiring with the Soviets to kill him. I went in and was about to kill him. Next thing I knew, he took me in and taught me some things. He was, by far, the kindest warlord I ever came across. Not once did he hit me. Even when I made a mistake."

"That was the 'Tiger' for you. Any time he'd come across one in need, he'd assist. Even, at times, 'adopting' of sorts." Shaking his head, Higgins adds, "I'm amazed you survived the war, as child warriors seldom pull off such a feat. Someone upstairs must have been watching over you."

Giving a slight smile, Sousuke can only shrug as he replies, "If so, they're doing a good job of it."

"What religion do you follow, Sousuke?"

"No religion in particular, sir. For that matter, I've been pretty busy of late to pick a religion."

Chuckling, Higgins nods as he says, "Yes, given your bride's actions toward you during the meal. I can see how you've been busy."

"Not just that, sir. My work as well."

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

"Well, ever since we left on our honeymoon, it'd become something of a working honeymoon. In fact, the Onken was the first time we were marginally able to get away from my work. Somewhat."

"Oh? How so?"

"A colleague of mine happened to have been in the lodging next to ours. Merely coincidence, I'm sure."

"Quite." Curiosity taking hold, Higgins then asks, "Who do you work for, exactly?"

"I work for a division of the Argarus Security Firm, out of Australia." Mentally shrugging, Sousuke thinks, 'In a way, I do work for Argarus since it's Mithril's public face.'

"What's your specialty, mainly?"

"Primarily, I'm a bodyguard."

"Ah. How'd you meet Kaname? I mean, you're a working man already, so you wouldn't have had much chance for education unless it was one of those 'Education While Working' deals."

"That would be an apt description in my case, sir."

"I see. Does Argarus have any other employees your age?"

"As far as I know, one other works with me on occasion. He was trained as a sniper and is an excellent shot."

"I'd like to meet him sometime. Lord knows Magnum could use someone to watch his back any time he does an investigation."

"I do investigations at times as well. Maybe I can be of assistance to Mr Magnum."

"What about Kaname?"

"I taught her self-defense tactics should she require their usage. It was in case I had to leave town on business."

'So bodyguard is not your usual job, then. What could possibly demand you leave her side for business.' Watching as Sousuke gently nudges Kaname awake, Higgins can only smirk as the young blue-haired beauty drapes her arm around her husband and he lifts her up.

Gingerly holding Kaname in a 'walking crutch', Sousuke carries his wife up the stairs to their room. Without bothering to lift her into his arms, Sousuke is about to simply walk her in until Kaname stops him.

"I love you, Sousuke."

"I love you too, Kaname." All of a sudden, Sousuke is stunned as his sleepy wife's face takes on a familiar form. "Not that. Anything but that."

"Won't you please carry me in, Sousuke?" Giving him a soft peck as she looks into his eyes, she reaches down to his crotch and gently rubs the bulge. "You know you can't resist me. Your little friend seems excited." Sure enough, Sousuke's member is so hard, Kaname can feel it pointing toward her crotch. Snaking her hand into his shorts, she starts massaging him as she sultrily whispers, "You can't hold out forever, Sousuke. Resistance is futile."

Next thing Kaname knows, Sousuke has her in his arms and is carrying her into the room as he kisses her passionately. Returning the kiss with equal fervor, Kaname giggles into his mouth before they separate to breathe.

"I rue the day Mrs Stoppable taught you the 'PDP', Kaname."

"Oh come on. You know you like it, Sousuke."

"I don't like it. I love it!"

Trapping her lips in his again, Sousuke steers her toward the massive bed in the room and gently lies her down onto it. Not releasing him from her embrace, Kaname pulls Sousuke onto her form and runs her hands up and down his back.

Back downstairs, TC, Magnum, Shunya and Ayame stir just as a drunk Higgins clumsily puts the Brandy back in the cabinet. Turning around, Higgins gives the four a 'Magnum'-esque smirk just before passing out.

Worried about the caretaker, Magnum walks over to the man's prone form and checks for a pulse. Sure enough, the man's out cold from all the alcohol he'd imbibed. Looking up at TC, he gives the man a nod and gets up, with Higgins draped across his shoulders.

Gently carrying Higgins into the study, Magnum reaches the brown leather couch and lies the man down onto it. As he steps away from Higgins, he then says, "Sleep tight, Higgins." Reaching into his shirt pocket, he brings out a pair of 'Groucho' glasses, complete with mustache and bushy eyebrows, and puts them onto Higgins' face. Shunya and Ayame are barely able to stifle their laughs as the four leave the study, with TC leading the way.

As Magnum closes the door, Shunya turns to TC and asks, "Is he always like this?"

"Only when it comes to Higgy-baby. Sometimes Rick and me as well." TC doesn't catch Shunya's shudder at his grammar, but he does catch Ayame's giggle. "What's so funny, Miss Chidori?"

"You made Daddy cringe, TC. I think he feels you butcher the English language."

"Oops, my bad." As Ayame giggles, Magnum tilts his head to the side and TC follows his lead. "So how do you want to play this, Thomas? No way the helo can fly at this time of the night."

"Guess you'll have to crash with me tonight, TC." Noticing his friend's grimace, he asks, "What is it, TC?"

"Never say crash around a helicopter pilot, Thomas."

As Shunya guides Ayame to her room, she asks, "What was Mom like, Dad?"

"Your Mom was a real kind soul, Ayame. In fact, both you and your sister got some of her traits."

"Could Mom have been 'Whispered' as well? Since Kaname is one herself, I'd think she got it from somewhere."

"She was smart, but not that smart. No one on my side of the family is that smart either, except for your Aunt Zunika. But I highly doubt she's 'Whispered'."

"Well, we could always ask Tessa to check her over."

"Why don't we leave it up to Sousuke whether or not he should contact his superior officer with this hunch or possible information about your Aunt."

"Okay. Besides, Tessa did tell us that Sousuke and Kaname had their honeymoon interrupted too many times as it was."

"Yep. That it was. That it was." Sighing, he looks toward the couple's bedroom and says, "I just can't help but wonder what could have disrupted their honeymoon so much."

"Chances are it was official Mithril business. Or at least something that became it. Which means the less we know, the better."

"Oh how true that is, Ayame." Giving his daughter a small hug goodnight, he adds, "Sleep tight, Shorty."

"You too, Daddy."

In the couple's bedroom, three hours later, Sousuke is lying in bed, asleep, with Kaname ensconced within his arms and deep asleep. As he sleeps, memories of his return journey to Helmajistan come into his mind's eye.

_"Sagara, just so you know. You're highly skilled, but you're__ still__ just a punk."_

_ "I see."_

_ "I hate you. I'm saving a punch for you when we get back__ to base__, so don't go ge__t__t__ing__ yourself killed."_

_ "I can't promise anything, but I will try."_

_ With a chuckle, Andy then said, "That's the spirit, son. Motivation." In the background, Gray and Jackson's laughter came over Arbalest's communication speakers at Andy's comment toward Sousuke. With Jackson's being the loudest._

His eyes jolting open, Sousuke struggles to catch his breath as his mind reels with thoughts of his upcoming return to where his war career started. 'Why now? Could it be because I'm about to go back for my parents' bodies?'

"Mmm, Sousuke?" Groggily, Kaname rises up to behind her husband and drapes her arms across his chest. "What's wrong, Sousuke?"

"It's probably nothing serious, Kaname." Gently patting her joined hands with his, he says, "I was just recalling the mission to Helmajistan. I don't know why, but the memories are starting to make an appearance."

"Hmm, let's do the math, Sousuke." Pecking his back with her lips, she says, "Your parents died in Afghanistan, the team you went with died in the Helmajistan province and now we're about to go to Afghanistan for your parents' bodies. It could be thoughts of going back over there is bringing back past hurts."

"Yeah, probably." Giving her a smile, he adds, "I think you'd have liked meeting Gray, Kaname. She helped me put things into a sort of perspective when it comes to homes or loved ones."

A blush rising, she asks, "Was I considered to be a loved one, Sousuke?"

"Back then, I wasn't sure. Now, I am sure. You, your Father, sister and our son are my loved ones, Kaname. Just like the Lieutenant Commander, Kurz and Melissa are when it comes to my Mithril family. Just before she died, Gray told me my mission from her. It was to make it back home."

Kaname unwraps her arms from him and goes around to his front, straddling his waist as she kisses him. "Mission complete, Sousuke. You just have some unfinished business to contend with."

"Hmm, affirmative."

That morning, four hours later, Higgins opens his eyes and twitches his nose before sneezing. 'What on Earth?' Getting up from the sofa, he grabs his head as the effects of a hangover start kicking in. Making his way to a nearby mirror, he sees a strange sight. 'Mr Marx? It can't be. He's long dead.' Putting his right hand to his face, he realizes one thing.

"MAGNUM!"

In the guest bungalow, Magnum and TC were tossing peanuts into an old helmet, counting down until Higgins' yell. Softly snickering, Magnum smirks at TC while getting his cap on.

"Be sure to tell Rick about Higgins' new look."

"Oh, I definitely will. But I can't help but wonder what Higgy-baby will do to you next."

"The less you know, the better." TC's chuckle rumbles through the small, yet spacious house as the pilot exits the door. Two minutes later, Magnum can hear the Hughes' engine start and wind up. As he watches the small helo lift off and fly away, he softly says, "Be careful,TC. I lost too many friends in Nam. I'd hate to lose you as well."

Checking his watch, he sees that he has enough time for a run on the beach. As he exits the small house, he's surprised to see Sousuke and Kaname outside, getting ready for a jog themselves.

"I thought you guys were going to relax for your honeymoon."

"Sousuke thought it'd be a good opportunity to run on the beach, seeing as the only time he was on a beach was for business instead of pleasure." Smirking, Kaname then adds, "Besides, what better way to relax than jogging on a beach?"

"Okay. I guess I could use the company. What about your Dad and sister, though?"

"We already told them and invited them, but they had other plans, like going out to Pearl Harbor and seeing the memorial there. Sousuke and I may go out there later in the day."

"Okay. Well, let's go."

With that, the three jog to the south gate and Magnum opens it after checking to see if the dogs were following them. Seeing as they're not, they quickly scramble through the gate and Magnum quickly closes it.

Starting their jog, Sousuke lets Kaname set the pace, which Sousuke and Magnum match easily. Too easily. So, Kaname ups the pace, with the two men matching her still too easily.

'Okay. Let's see how you handle this!' Suddenly bursting forward, Kaname laughs as she yells, "Later, boys!" Three minutes later, she feels her right foot make contact with a form lying in the sand in front of her and she trips onto the sand after clearing the form.

"Why don't you watch where you're going, you lunatic?" The voice was female and very familiar. Next thing Kaname knows, another familiar voice sounds off. A familiar male voice.

"Tara, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Felix. Seeing as some knucklehead tripped over me and knocked the wind out of me."

Getting her bearings back, Kaname turns back, sees platinum blond hair and asks, "Tara? Tara Renton?"

"Kaname?" Blinking her blue eyes in surprise, the platinum blond smiles as she wraps Kaname in a hug, with Kaname returning the hug. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

"Don't worry about it, Tara. If I was in your shoes, I'd have reacted the same way. How've you been since leaving Okinawa?"

"Oh, we've been fine. For the most part."

"What do you mean, Tara?"

"Well, you see, here's what happened after we left Okinawa on the flight."

_(Flashback)_

_ Twenty minutes into the flight from Okinawa to Honolulu__, Ron and Kim went toward the onboard bathroom, to renew their membership in the 'mile high club'. Well, those plans quickly went to pieces as three men with Uzis took control of the plane, declaring us all infidels._

_ Ron, in his usual style, said, 'Oh look, imbeciles.' That made them so angry, they never saw Bonnie or Jessica bring up their weapons behind them and open fire. Within seconds, all three terrorists were dead and the plane and it's passengers were saved. It's a good thing both Bonnie and Jessica had frangible rounds in their guns._

Coming back to the present, Tara goes on. "When we landed at Honolulu, Global Justice agents met up with us and Bonnie and Jessica both gave their statements."

"Where are the others, anyway, Tara?"

"Bonnie went to throw up, with Hirotaka right behind her. Ron and Kim are out there somewhere, under the waves and Jessica and Stuart went to get some breakfast for all of us."

"How long ago did you guys get here?"

Grinning, Felix replies, "A little over a week ago. It seems that Bonnie and Jessica raised quite a ruckus when they offed those imbeciles on the flight."

"Well, let's see. If you're a homicidal imbecile, on a plane, would you want to mess up the plans of a former hero team in regards to their vacation? I don't think so."

"Nor do I. Of course, they didn't exactly ask to be on the same flight as the former Team Hawk members and their friends." Giving a light smirk, Tara adds, "At least to our knowledge, anyway." Kaname and Tara both share a giggle. Just as Magnum and Sousuke come up on them, breathing steadily.

"Kaname, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, Sousuke. Just catching up with Tara."

"Hi, Sousuke!"

"Hello, Mrs Renton. Where are the others at?" While the bubbly blond tells Sousuke, Kaname looks over at Felix and sees him smiling sadly.

"Felix, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, Kaname. I was just thinking about my birth Dad and how he'd have liked to have been here. He'd always wanted to come here when I got old enough. Then that stinking drunk ruined it all." Nodding softly, Kaname listens as he goes on. "Logan's trying for another appeal now, seeing as my spinal damage had been repaired."

"What do you think, Felix?"

"He should die in prison for what he did. To me, my Dad, my Mom, Tara and our little boy. Damage repairs or not, he still damaged my spine."

"Then tell them to keep him locked up. Because he's much too dangerous to be allowed out and about."

"I agree with you there, Kaname. But something tells me it's going to be difficult at most." Before Kaname can ask him what he means, Felix spots Bonnie and Hirotaka walking up to them, with Hirotaka supporting the tanned brunette. "Bonnie, you okay?"

Giving him a soft smile, Bonnie nods and replies, "Yeah, I'm okay, Felix. It's probably something I ate that didn't agree with me." Unconsciously rubbing her abdomen, she adds, "Or I could be expecting again." Looking around, she shakes her head and says, "Let me guess. Kim and Ron haven't come back up yet?"

"Not yet. But, we have company." Giggling, Tara guides her best friend's gaze over to Sousuke and Kaname. "Look who decided to 'drop' in for a visit." Bonnie can't help but smile brightly upon seeing Kaname and Sousuke.

"Hey, you two. When'd you get here?"

Sousuke smiles as he replies, "Yesterday. We're staying at Mr Masters' estate. Thinking of, meet Thomas Magnum. He's a Private Investigator that pretty much lives on the grounds. Mr Magnum, meet our friends. Bonnie and Hirotaka Rockwaller and Felix and Tara Renton. Ron and Kim Stoppable seem to be out diving somewhere while two more of their friends are walking up right now." Before Magnum can reply, they hear two more voices from the waves.

"Kim! This is not a clothing optional beach! I need my trunks!"

"Relax, Ron! It's not like I haven't seen you in the nude before! Besides, this is a private beach area!"

"Somehow I don't think that this is what they had in mind when they said 'private beach' area!"

"Okay, okay!" A soft giggle comes over the waves as Kim asks, "Can you bring a spare pair of Ron's trunks, Felix? Please and thank you."

"Sure, Kim." Chuckling along with Magnum and the others, Felix goes over to Ron's sports bag and opens it. What he says next stuns them. "Oh dear!"

"Oh dear? This is no time for 'Oh dear', F-dawg! I need trunks!"

"Sorry, Ron-man, but I'm afraid that last pair you wore was the last pair of spare trunks you had!" Lying on the ground, wracked by fits of laughter, Bonnie is laughing unhindered as she holds her sides in mirth.

"You're so not helping at all, Bon-Bon!"

"Sorry, Ron! But this is just too good to pass up, stud!"

"Come on out, Ron! If it makes you feel any better, I can always ask Kim if I can see your 'wedding tackle'!" The others look at a freshly-arrived blond woman that's wearing a smile on her face. "Besides, it's not every day I get to meet a former team of world-class heroes and their friends!"

"Not funny, Sergeant Morell! Not funny at all!"

"Okay, okay!" Shaking her head, Morell grabs up a towel and walks down to the water's edge and turns her head away. "You can come up now, Ron!"

"Thank you! And no peeking! Please!"

While the comedy is going on, Kaname turns to Magnum and asks, "Who's she?"

"Sergeant Amy Morell of the Honolulu Police Department. She's originally from Texas, but has proven herself to be adaptable to wherever she goes."

"Morell, Morell. I can't but feel as if I'd heard that name before."

"If you want, I can do a quick check, Kana-kun."

"Nah, it's okay, Sous-kun. Let's just concentrate on relaxing and having a good time." At about that time, Ron is on the beach, towel wrapped securely around his lower anatomy, a giggling Kim kissing him softly on the lips. "Hey, Ron! Enjoy your dive?"

"Yeah. I would have enjoyed it more if I knew where my trunks had gone off to while we were scuba diving." Giving Kaname a smirk, he then asks, "How's your honeymoon going so far, guys? As in since we left Okinawa."

"No problems here, Ron. If anything, it'd gotten somewhat stranger. But at least not as strange as Melissa trying to program the M9s to waltz."

"Did he just say what I thought he said?" Amy's voice cuts through the stunned silence as she goes on. "What are 'M9's? Some kind of prototype robot?"

"Long story, Amy and one we don't have time for." Before Amy can ask Bonnie what she meant, a cell phone chimes.

Bringing it out, she smiles upon seeing the name and answers. "Hey, Walker. Uh-huh. Yeah. Oh, they're great company. Yeah. Well, it's not every day I get to have the members of the former Team Possible in my home, along with their friends. Say that again, please?" Little by little, Amy's smile fades until it's replaced by a sad frown. "When? I see. I'll be on the next flight out to Dallas. Bye, and thank you."

Upon ending the call, her composure breaks down and she collapses onto the sand. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! I never even got the chance to see him one last time!"

"Amy? What happened?" Amy looks up at Magnum and sniffs before giving her reply.

"My Father, Thomas. He passed away earlier this morning. Ranger Walker felt he should call me when I'd be fully awake."

"Need a lift to the airport?" Giving him a soft smile, Amy wraps him in her arms as he does the same to her.

"No thanks, Thomas. I'll just get one of the guys at the PD to give me a lift. No need for you to distract yourself on my account."

"Well, okay. But I hope you'll call when you arrive in Dallas, at least. After all, you know I don't mind worrying about my neighbors."

"Yeah. I also know you don't mind pulling practical jokes on them, either." Looking back toward her guests, Amy adds, "Looks like you guys will have free run of the place while I'm gone. Ron."

"Yeah, Amy?"

"Please keep Kim out of the kitchen. Her cooking should be considered cruel and unusual punishment."

"Aww, it's not that bad. She can usually make the cakes edible eight times out of fifteen now."

"Ron! I'm standing right here, you know!" Bonnie can't help but start off another peal of laughter as Kim blushes upon Ron pressing himself to her backside.

Whispering softly into her ear, he replies, "I know." Pulling her back with him toward the water, he removes the towel and adds, "Let's go see if we can have some fun 'looking' for my trunks." Blushing furiously, Kim has one more word before the couple submerges again.

"RON!"

Back on shore, the others are sharing a heartfelt laugh while Amy looks on wistfully. "If only, if only I hadn't listened to my 'friends' that day, I'd be happy too."

"Amy?"

"Some time ago, I was seeing a very nice guy, Thomas. Funny, could make a dreary day bright and good in bed." Sighing sadly, she adds, "My friends in the 'society circle' didn't approve of him, but I didn't care about that. I was happy. So, they did the worst thing possible. They got between us and told him to get out of my life. He told them it was my choice, not theirs."

"Let me guess. They used the 'food chain' excuse?" At Amy's nod, Bonnie snorts and says, "It's a good thing I learned that was all bullshit our senior year. Otherwise, I wouldn't be as happy as I am right now." Draping an arm into Hirotaka's, she adds, "If I could shake off the 'food chain', you can too, Amy."

"Even worse is, he didn't try pressuring me like they were. Like, he only wanted me to be happy. So, caving in, I told him to get out of my life. But, I had also hoped he'd find someone to make him happy. When I told my Dad, I asked what I should do. Of all the people in our circle, he was the only one, other than me, that thought we were good together. He told me to get him back into my life. But, he'd already vanished. Almost like he never even existed. That was about a year ago now."

Looking over at Stuart and Jessica, she sees them exchanging a glance, with Sousuke and Kaname sharing the same glance with them. "Guys? What's going on?"

"Please excuse us. We need to make a quick call." Grabbing her husband, Kaname bolts away, with Sousuke catching up the pace and running with her.

Feeling very perplexed, Amy asks, "What's with them?" Stuart and Jessica both look at each other, shrug and turn back to Amy. "Well?"

"Was his name Michael, by any chance?" Amy's shocked gasp, along with her wide eyes, tells Stuart all he needs to know. "He's on a base in the Pacific Ocean."

"You know him?! Where is he?! Please!" Her body starting to wrack with sobs, she says, "I need to make up with him! I need him!"

As they run back to 'Robin's Nest', Sousuke and Kaname both think about what Stuart and Jessica had communicated with each other with only eye contact.

"The MP back on Merida Island. That was Miss Morell's ex, wasn't it?"

"Certainly seems to fit, given what he'd told Lieutenant Argyle and myself in the past."

"When did he talk to you, Sousuke?"

"It was the week before we became a couple, Kaname. He had been considering writing her, but thought against it every time. His way of accepting what had happened, but still not quite believing."

"In a way, I can relate, Sousuke. I can really relate. I mean, the past year and a half has been so surreal to me."

"Likewise, Kaname. Likewise." Upon reaching the grounds, they quickly open the gate, rush through the entryway and hurriedly close it. As they run up to Roadwolf, they see Shunya and Ayame getting ready to head out with a fully-awake Higgins behind the wheel of a grey Jeep Cherokee.

"Sousuke? Kaname? What's going on?"

"Gotta make a quick call, Daddy! See you later!" As the couple gets into Roadwolf, Higgins reenters the garage and walks over to the couple.

"I dare say, Mrs Sagara, it'd be much simpler to use the house phone instead of your car's phone."

"Unfortunately however, Uncle Jon, your landlines aren't as secure as the car's phone system is. Besides, I don't even know the number we're calling to. It's all pre-programmed, courtesy of Sousuke's employers."

"I see. Very well, then. I'll leave you both to your call, Mr and Mrs Sagara."

"Thank you, Mr Higgins." As Higgins walks away, Sousuke says, "Roadwolf to Merida Island. Come in, Merida."

_"This is Merida Island. Kalinin here. Go ahead, Roadwolf."_

"Lieutenant Commander, is Corporal Simmons there at the moment?"

_"Yes, he is. At current moment, he's patrolling east end of island."_

"Great. Any chance you can pass a message on to him? It involves an old friend of his."

Kalinin's chuckling has Kaname grinning as he replies, _"Yes, I can do so. What is message, Mrs Sagara?"_

"His ex-girlfriend's Father died and she wants to see him again."

_"I will relay message to Corporal Simmons. I take it she's getting ready to head home for funeral?"_

"Affirmative, sir."

_"I'll pass it on, Lieutenant Sagara. Incidentally,__ i__t seems once you took down 'Emperor' and Leonard, all known associates had vanished into woodwork."_

Concerned for the petite Captain, Kaname asks, "How's Tessa holding up?"

_"She's going through the motions and has just started grieving process. She also wished me to relay her thanks to you both."_

"Understood, sir. Roadwolf out." Once communication's ended, Sousuke looks over at Kaname and asks, "Want to go out to somewhere?"

"Sure. Any place in particular?"

"Not really. Just in the mood for some exploration."

"I take it you don't mean 'intimate' exploring."

"Not at the moment, but we can do that tonight." Kaname can't help but drop her jaw in shocked amazement.

"I think I've finally gotten you housebroken, Sousuke." Little does the couple realize that a car right behind Roadwolf had started following them upon their departure from 'Robin's Nest'.

Inside the car, a woman smirks at her partner and asks, "What do you think about that car? Think it's rare enough?"

"Oh yeah. Rare and expensive. Expensive is good. How much you think we'll get for it?"

"That'll fetch 58.5 in Cabo. You know what to do?"

"Oh yeah. Just leave it to me." The man punches down on the accelerator and passes the black sports car, right at the double solid line. Cutting the wheel sharply to the right, he narrowly escapes clipping the car's front bumper. "Brace yourself, Monica. Hubba, hubba, hubba."

Back in Roadwolf, Kaname had seen the car cut them off and is seething. "Jeez, can you believe that jerk?! He almost hit us, Sousuke! Should we engage?"

"As tempting as that sounds, Kaname, we can't draw attention to ourselves. Though it does sound like fun." Next thing the couple knows, the car that cut them off slams on it's brakes and stops right in the roadway, with it's front end in the oncoming lane. Slamming on Roadwolf's brakes, Sousuke manages to stop the car just shy of the driver's side door.

Just as the two people inside the car jump out, yelling, "Out of the car!" Sousuke sees Kaname reaching for her Eagle and shakes his head 'no'.

"We don't know for sure what they want, Kaname. I'll tell you this much, though. They're not Police." Giving her husband a nod of agreement, Kaname opens her door with a shove, barely avoiding knocking the woman's kneecaps out of line. While Sousuke does his hand at 'Diplomacy'. "Is there something you need help with?"

"Yeah. We need your car."

"Why? Your car seems to be functional."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, I've had a really shitty day today and your day's not going too good."

Snorting without mirth, Kaname retorts, "You don't even know how bad you got it right now, _baka__s_. Right now, you're jacking a mercenary and his wife on their honeymoon. That's how bad your day is."

Rolling her eyes, the woman retorts, "Yeah, sure and I'm a comedienne. And guess what. My jokes suck!"

Sighing, Kaname shakes her head, looks over at Sousuke and says, "It would appear as if 'Diplomacy' really is a failure, Sousuke."

"I concur, Kaname." Without warning, the couple sends a vicious right hook to the would-be carjackers' faces, knocking them flat onto the ground. Once the two are down, Sousuke and Kaname both draw their Desert Eagles and aim at the two would-have-been carjackers' heads.

The male carjacker looks up, sees the big black pistol and whimpers, "Oh shit. I'm fucked."

Looking down at the female carjacker, Kaname snarls out, "Now let's hear one of those jokes, _baka _bitch."

An hour later, Sousuke and Kaname are arriving at the ferry that'll take them out to Pearl Harbor. It had taken some doing, but Mithril's Legal Division's contact in the Honolulu PD was able to get Sousuke and Kaname cleared of any repercussions from the couple's latest incident. The carjackers, on the other hand, were not so lucky. It turns out they had escaped from a California prison and are now awaiting extradition back to the State.

"Another rich, fun-filled day. Eh, Sousuke?"

"It was interesting to say the least, Kaname. But not quite as where we're about to go."

"Yeah. It wasn't exactly our country's greatest hour. Was it?"

"Negative. If anything, it turned out to be a dire mistake by the Japanese Government. Much like 9/11 was Bin Laden's big mistake. Instead of having the American people cringe in fear, he ignited an inferno that shows no sign of fading out any time soon."

"That's deep, my boy. Real deep." Turning around, the couple smiles upon seeing Shunya with Ayame and Higgins, just now arriving at the ferry site in the Cherokee. Stepping out of the SUV, Shunya wraps his eldest daughter in a hug and shakes Sousuke's hand in greeting. "Thinking of, where were you that day, Sousuke?"

"Let's see. That day in particular, I was in Cambodia, infiltrating a terrorist compound. Not the one with 'Machete Lady', Kaname, but a different one. How about you?"

"I was in the beginning of class when the teacher turned on the news for our daily reporting and then we saw the towers burning. How about you, Daddy? Where were you when the imbeciles attacked?"

"In my office at the UN Building. One minute, I'm looking over reports from parts of the globe regarding environmental matters. Next minute, I was being hustled out of my office by a pair of Security Officers. And, boy, were they ever pissed! Of course, a landmark like the twin towers, who could blame them?" Looking down at Ayame, Shunya adds, "Ayame was in class when it happened. When I got there, she was crying and screaming. She really liked those towers."

Giving Kaname a smile, he adds, "She wanted to run up and down those steps with you when she got old enough. But, since that happened, much chance of that happening."

"At least until the new building is completed anyway, Kaname. When it opens up, I want you there with me."

"Sure. But how long will that take? Any ideas?"

In Hong Kong, a young woman with long black hair slowly, if groggily, opens her eyes. It's almost dawn, with a half-moon. 'Where am I? Am I dead?' Suddenly, she bolts up, yelling, "Yu Lan!" The sudden motion, however, causes her to grab her side with a hiss of pain.

"Don't try moving any more than you just have. You had some very bad injuries and they're almost fully healed." The voice is gentle and feminine as it goes on. "Matter of fact, I'd say you're lucky to be alive still."

"Those that die are the lucky ones. As long as they're not my sister."

"Your sister? Where is she?"

"She's dead. Gates desecrated her corpse and I went to kill him for it. But I failed and he's still alive."

"Who's Gates?"

"A contractor."

"Was this Gates guy operating a red Arm Slave?"

"He was."

"No need to worry about him then." The young woman looks toward the voice's source, hidden in the shadows. "He's been dead for a little over a year now. That white AS killed him and that Arm Slave. Along with the Arm Slaves it was with."

"Mithril."

"Mithril?"

"A mercenary force much like the ones that my sister and I worked for. Only they work on the side of freedom." Giving a sigh, she adds, "I need to get out of here and make my final arrangements."

"Final arrangements?"

"Yes. Once I've healed up enough, I'm going after Leonard Testarossa and the rest of Amalgam."

"Let me guess? Your former employers?" At her nod, she then asks, "Why?"

"Amalgam was responsible for destroying our family and village in China. Sensei took us in to train us for our revenge. Now Sensei is dead, as is Yu Lan."

"I'm sorry for your loss, sister of Yu Lan."

"Yu Fan."

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Xia Yu Fan. Your name?"

"Mei Ching. I'm a hooker that works here in Hong Kong."

"I'm still in Hong Kong?"

"Yep. That you are."

"How'd I get here? For that matter, how am I still alive?"

"After the battle had ended, I was wandering around until I came across your form in the park. You were wearing a strange suit and appeared to be dead. I was about to scream for help until I heard you breathe out, 'Don't call anyone. Just get me out of here'. I was about to drop a brick when I heard your voice."

"Drop a brick? What does masonry have to do with fright?"

"Shit, you're as serious as that guy was before that fight. All stiff and sullen. Of course, he was kinda cute, but his eyes were sad and dead. Kinda like how yours are. I wonder what became of 'Mr Affirmative'."

'If it's who I think it is, then my mission could go much easier.' "Did this guy have scruffy brown hair and an x-shaped scar on his left cheek?" A light bulb suddenly lights beside her, causing Yu Fan to shut them to keep from going blind. After her eyelids had allowed her eyes to adjust to the light, Yu Fan reopens her eyes and makes a shocking discovery. "Miss Chidori? How? Sensei said you were dead."

Mei Ching blinks her eyes and asks, "Who's Miss Chidori and why would she be dead?"

"I can't believe it. The resemblance is simply uncanny."

"That doesn't answer my question. Why would Miss Chidori be dead?"

"In order for Kashim to become the man he once was, Miss Chidori had to be removed from his life and the world altogether. That was the will of Sensei."

"Kashim?"

"The man known as Sousuke Sagara. Sensei had observed him in the past and found that Kashim was developing emotions for her."

"So that's why."

"Why what?"

"That's why he bolted up when I was trying to seduce him and took the Scotch with him when he left. He must have been hurt by her quite a few times." Mei then looks over at Yu Fan and sees that she fell back asleep. "So much for our chat. So let's look up those names, eh?"

Crossing over to a nearby computer, she quickly goes onto the internet and enters the names given. "Let's see what we can find on Sousuke Sagara and Kaname Chidori here."

Back in Hawaii, Sousuke, Kaname, Shunya, Ayame and Higgins are coming back from the Pearl Harbor memorial site when Sousuke suddenly looks around, as if searching for enemies.

"Sousuke? You alright, young fellow?"

"I seem to be, Mr Higgins. But I can't help but feel as if something big is going to happen. Soon."

"Any idea as to when, Sousuke?"

"Negative."

"Well, I'm sure you'll cross that bridge when you come across it."

"Or he'll just blow it up. Whichever comes to strike his mind first." Kaname wraps her arms around Sousuke's midsection from behind and softly kisses his neck, adding, "I wouldn't want him to change very much."

"Hey, Higgins!" Both teens, Shunya and Ayame turn toward the voice and see a Caucasian man with curly grey-brown hair and a wry grin on his face. Nonplussed, Higgins turns as well in greeting the newcomer. "Thomas and TC said you got a pair of honeymooners at 'Robin's Nest'. You gonna be bringing them by the club tonight?"

"I don't see why not, Orville. Thinking of, this is the couple. Mr and Mrs Sousuke Sagara. These two with them are Mrs Sagara's Father and younger sister."

"Hello, folks. I'm Rick Wright, head of the King Kamehameha Club."

"If your name's Rick, why did Mr Higgins call you Orville?"

"It's my given name, Mr Sagara. I don't like it very much. Higgins, however, insists on using my given name any time he sees me."

"As well as I should, Orville."

"Higgins, please, you make me sound like that popcorn guy."

"It was also the name of one of the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville. I'm sure your parents had them in mind when they named you, Orville."

"Maybe, maybe not, Higgins. For now, though, I'll just stick with Rick, thank you very much."

"Very good, Orville."

"Hey! Come on, Higgins!"

"You can call yourself Rick, but I'll use your actual name. It's only proper that way." Finally curious, Higgins turns back toward Sousuke and asks, "Is that your given name, Sousuke?"

"Affirmative. It was the one my parents gave me. When I was with the Afghani rebels, I fought under the name 'Kashim'."

"I'm glad to see you've accepted your true name then, Sousuke. It must have been rough being named someone you're not."

"Actually, for a time, I liked the name. I didn't ask to be saddled with it and I understood that the ones that took me in had no way of knowing my name. I certainly had my reservations during those days, though."

"Oh? How so, Sousuke?"

"I could have done without the blade being dragged across my left cheek for one thing." Higgins' laughter is loud throughout the parking lot as they head for the vehicles. "So Rick, what time should Kaname and I be at the club?"

"Five at the earliest. We're having a luau and the both of you will get the best instructions on hula dancing."

"How about Ayame as well? I think she'd like to learn too."

"Sure. The more the merrier, Mrs Sagara."

As she looks over at Sousuke, Kaname tries imagining him in a hula outfit with a grass skirt. As she imagines, a very hentai thought occurs to her. 'Perfect! He'll get a show he won't soon forget!'

Looking over at Kaname, Sousuke thinks, 'What's Kaname thinking now? From the look on her face, I'd say she has something risqué in mind for those lessons.' The very thought of it gets him very excited, only he doesn't show it externally. His thoughts are disturbed by Rick's voice.

"Do you guys know of anyone else that could use hula lessons?"

Looking at each other, the couple suddenly grins sinisterly and Kaname asks, "You thinking what I'm thinking, Sous-kun?"

"Affirmative, Kana-kun."

That evening, at the King Kamehameha Club, Ron, Kim, Bonnie, Hirotaka, Felix, Tara, Jessica and Stuart are alongside Sousuke, Kaname and Ayame as they hula dance. Shunya had politely declined the lessons, stating that he was somewhat tired from the day. That was the furthest thing from the truth.

For deep inside, he was busting a gut with well-concealed internal laughter as he watches his son-in-law stiffly replicate the moves alongside Kaname. Of course, Ron clumsily dancing as well has him in stitches on the inside too. Bonnie, Kim, Tara, Kaname and Ayame pull the moves with finesse while Jessica finds herself getting frustrated.

Until Stuart comes to her side and clasps her waist from behind. "Just follow my lead, Jessie."

"Okay." Allowing him to lead, she finds herself in sync with the music and soon she's dancing like a pro. However, she slightly jumps when Stuart wraps his arms around her middle and gently kisses her neck.

Felix and Hirotaka had clearly adapted their own 'hula' dance. By blending the 'robot' dance style and the 'ninja' style, their dance soon resembles a recital for 'wreck of the year'. Bonnie and Tara can't help but giggle at the sight of their men chopping at each other.

Kim can't help but sigh until she is pleasantly surprised by Ron adapting. Even Shunya is so impressed by Ron's smooth style, he decides his switch was 'forest lawn' smooth. Even Sousuke had adapted. Kind of. His dance style is still rough, but is a drastic improvement over his stiff motions earlier.

That gets Shunya started up with internal laughter again. The kind that'll be repeated for years to come. Especially since a certain Captain had sent him a camcorder with satellite transmission capability so she can watch the feed in her quarters.

She's not the only one, for Lieutenant Clouseau had joined her and is laughing his head off, with her giggling madly. In the course of her giggles, Tessa nearly falls off the bed and recovers in time to keep from falling off.

"Are you sure you can't stay, Lieutenant?"

"I wish I could, Captain. I can tell that Merida is filled with interesting characters to be certain. But too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the meal. The same can be said for too many Lieutenants in the same AS Squad."

"Yes. I see your point. Good luck to you in the Indian Ocean fleet, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, ma'am. Oh, incidentally, any chance you can make me a copy of this here? Just something to brighten my days with for when I'm storming on the inside."

"Sure. Can you hold for an hour?"

"Yes ma'am. It should take me an hour and a half for me to get packed."

Next thing they know, they hear Sousuke's voice on the television. _"A sat-cam?! Get that thing out of here!"_ The next voice they hear is Shunya's.

_ "No way, Sousuke! Think of it this way. Your dance style is now immortalized."_

Next thing they know, Sousuke brings out his Glock and repeats his ultimatum. _"Get that thing out of here!"_ When the picture doesn't die, Sousuke makes it die. With a well-placed round from the Glock.

Sweat-dropping, Tessa and Clouseau both wonder if the cameraman is all right.

Back in Hawaii, Shunya lightly chuckles as he gazes upon the destroyed camcorder and looks back up at Sousuke. "Cutting it a bit close, aren't you Sousuke?"

"Negative. The bullet went right where I wanted it. I just hope the disc inside was destroyed as well."

"It had a disc too?"

"Affirmative. In case the satellite signal was to fail, a sat-cam is equipped with a disc recorder that encodes any images onto a disc for later viewing at a base."

"Really now? Jonathan, I think we should see about this."

"I agree, Shunya. Wholeheartedly." Before either man can reach for the camera, another shot rings out and the body of the camcorder is shattered. Disc drive and disc included. "Well, so much for that idea. I just hope Tessa got enough footage of you."

"The Captain sent it to you? Not good."

"It can't be that bad, Sousuke." Wrapped in the arms of his wife, Sousuke reaches back and clasps her rear before she releases him and swats him in the head. "What were you thinking, Sousuke?! What if you had missed and hit my Father instead?! I know you're an excellent marksman, but that camcorder was small! If your aim was off, my Father would've died!"

"Sorry, Mr Chidori."

"No, Sousuke. It should be me apologizing. I should have turned the camera off. Instead, I forgot about your dislike for cameras of any kind. Be they still or video." Suddenly grinning, Shunya adds, "If anything, it's going to give Tessa a few good giggles. Along with the rest of the island. It was pretty damned funny!" Shunya can't help but start laughing out loud.

Sousuke and Kaname use the opportunity to slip away unnoticed to a nearby hut. Once there, they start making out. During a kiss, Kaname suddenly separates from Sousuke and grins.

"I'll be right back, Sous-kun." Ducking inside, Kaname lightly giggles as she does what she has in mind. 'Okay. Let's do this.'

Outside the hut, Sousuke soon sees one of his wife's slender hands come out, it's index finger curling inward in a seductive manner. Finding himself curious, Sousuke goes into the hut and sees Kaname still wearing her skirt and coconut top.

"Have a seat, Sous-kun. I've got a surprise for you." Once Sousuke is seated, Kaname begins giving him a private 'hula' dance. Standing close to him as she sways her hips, she casually keeps an eye on him to see if he notices anything different.

From his position on the bed and with Kaname's close proximity, Sousuke quickly notices a patch of blue under the grass skirt. 'Oh shit! She's not wearing anything under the skirt!'

"Like what you see, soldier?"

"Affirmative."

Removing her top, Kaname seductively purrs, "Good." Reaching down to her husband's skirt, she gently snakes her hand down into the material and comes across his trunks. "That can't be comfortable for you, sweetie." Giggling as she pulls them down, with Sousuke eagerly helping her, she lasciviously grins upon feeling his hard member spring free.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me, Kaname."

"No, but I can tell that you're loving it. That's good enough for me, honey." Locking her lips to his, she softly breaks away and says, "Jump me."

Back in Hong Kong, Yu Fan is waking back up and sees Mei Ching sound asleep on the chair at the bed's side. Right then and there, Yu Fan begins her physical rehab. Although her muscles had atrophied to the point the slightest motion would bring a hiss of pain about, Yu Fan just pushes through it. Starting her abdominal crunches, Yu Fan cries out in pain but keeps on pushing herself.

'I've got to do this! I've got to do this!'

Unfortunately, the pained cry is enough to stir Mei Ching from her slumber. Horrified at the sight, she asks, "Just what the Hell do you think you're doing, brain donor? How long have you been moving around now?"

"About five minutes now. I'm doing my abdominal crunches. Or at least trying to."

"I see. Don't you know that most people in your current condition usually have spotters to ensure they're not pushing themselves too hard. It's not often you'll find a candle burning at both ends."

"I'm not like most people."

"True, but still…."

"If you feel it's necessary, I won't stop you."

"Okay. Let's get this ball rolling." Snapping her fingers, she then adds, "By the way, I looked up those names. I can't find a thing on Mithril, but I did find quite a bit on Sousuke and Kaname Sagara."

"I don't think I heard you right. Did you just say Sousuke and Kaname Sagara?"

"Yep. That I did. I even got a picture of their wedding and their first-born."

"They're married and have a kid now? What planet are we on?" Gently shaking her head incredulously, Yu Fan adds, "I need someone to put me in the fridge."

"Aren't you being just a little too melodramatic? It's not really that bad. They look very cute together and you weren't kidding about the resemblance either."

"How long ago did they wed?"

"About four months ago."

"I'll simply have to get them a gift then."

"That'll be nice, albeit delayed."

Five days later, Sousuke and Kaname are on their way to Merida Island after just having left Hawaii. Their friends had already headed back to Colorado to start college while Shunya and Ayame had flown back to New York.

Sitting outside of Roadwolf inside the Pave Mare, Kaname finds herself wishing they could take the car with them instead of using Arm Slaves.

"It's certainly been a crazy ride, hasn't it, Kaname?"

"Yeah, it has, Sousuke. But, tell me something. Why Arm Slaves when Roadwolf can take us there quicker?"

"The area we're going into is extremely rough terrain. The nearest paved road around is roughly five hundred miles from where my parents died. Roadwolf would have no chance of negotiating the path to the village."

"Hmm, I see your point. I'm guessing there's another reason we're not taking Roadwolf."

"Affirmative. Mithril mechanics have to go over it, to be sure that severe damage has been avoided when it comes to the chassis. I expect they'll find scrapes along the back end of the chassis from when we first came across Mr Carson."

"Yeah, to say the least." Stretching out, Kaname then asks, "How many Arm Slaves, Sousuke?"

"Just two, Kaname. You in an M9 with me in the ARX-7. I don't expect any complications to arise."

"There may be a slight complication, Sousuke. I don't know how to pilot an Arm Slave."

"Yet. I got approval from Captain Testarossa. I can teach you to pilot an M9."

"Okay. But just for the record, I still think we should take Roadwolf for when we get on the road over there."

"Why would we be on the road, Kaname? We're being picked up in the desert, same place where we're being dropped off at. From there, we go to the village and recover the bodies. We then carry them in the Arm Slaves' hands and have them flown home to Japan."

"Sounds like a plan, Sousuke."

In Hong Kong, Mei Ching can't help but be surprised at Yu Fan's progress. This was a girl so badly hurt, that she had thought was dead from the start. But as her health improved and fitness increased, her agility had as well.

"Very good, Yu Fan. I think I missed my calling when I became a hooker."

"Oh? What might that be?"

"Physical therapist."

"I concur. You should look into that." Her eyes suddenly narrowing, her hands shoot out and grab Mei Ching's neck. "If you live, that is."

"What are you doing?" Mei Ching's choked voice is barely audible as Yu Fan tightens her grip just before switching to the crook of her elbow being around the young woman's neck.

"Remember that gift idea?"

Not liking where this is going, she replies, "Uh-huh."

"This is the gift I'm giving them." Without further ado, Yu Fan snaps Mei Ching's neck and gently lays the body down. "I can't leave witnesses or those that know about me. Just be glad I gave you a clean death. Thanks for the help." With that, Xia Yu Fan exits the apartment and exits the building through the back way. "I need to find Mr and Mrs Sagara so I can give them their gift."

Making her way to an Amalgam storage site, she soon finds an Arm Slave she's very familiar with. "Let's go hunting, Chodarl. We'll start with where Sensei first met Sousuke Sagara. If that fails, we go to Japan and kidnap the child."

Once inside the Arm Slave, she asks herself, "How did I survive? Unless, of course, the Lambda Driver."

On Merida Island, Tessa is in the hangar, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Pave Mare carrying Sousuke, Kaname and Roadwolf. Suddenly, the hangar's PA comes to life.

**"Attention all hands. Incoming chopper. Get to designated safety zones to avoid blade wash."**

Not wanting to get blown away by the blade wash, Tessa ducks behind a loader. Just as the Pave Mare comes in for a landing. As it's blades slow to a stop, the rear loading hatch opens and Roadwolf slowly rolls out, with Kaname at the wheel and Sousuke sound asleep.

Pulling the black car to a stop beside Tessa, Kaname grins as she puts her index finger to her lips and whispers, "He's finally asleep. He tossed and turned quite a bit during the flight but settled down once he got into the car."

"I see. Are you looking forward to your Afghanistan trip?"

"Yep. I just wish we could take Roadwolf with us."

"I take it he told you why it's not possible."

"Yeah. All that rough terrain and not much in terms of smooth pavement over there."

"Correct. The only feasible ground transport is either Arm Slave or four-wheel drive. And I don't think a four-wheeler can carry enough ammunition should you find yourselves in a jam."

"How so, Tessa?"

"Recently, the area where Lieutenant Sagara's parents are buried has seen an increase in attacks or raids. Both by Taliban insurgents or thieves that live in the desert."

"Leaving the Arm Slave option."

"Correct."

"Well, if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes."

Author's Notes: This chapter took me a long while to write. But we're almost in the home stretch now. Seriously. Looks like Yu Fan is going hunting and will have to do it old school. Will she find the couple or will she be stopped? The couple's next stop: Afghanistan. You better get ready!


	5. Take Five: Afghan Adv and Moscow Meet

Honeymoon p 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic! or Transformers. Wish I did though.

Author's Notes: Ah, Afghanistan. A country with desolate beauty that borders with Russia and Asia. It's also where Yu Fan makes a shocking (for her) discovery and starts getting her humanity back. Along with facing a crisis that's more than she can handle. Our honeymooning couple, however, is about to even up the odds. You simply have to see it to believe it. You better get ready!

Afghanistan Adventure and Moscow Meeting

A Coalition patrol in Afghanistan is rolling along the unpaved roadway. It consists of two Abrams in mine-sweeping configuration, one Bradley fighting vehicle, one Stryker and three Humvees, all carrying twenty soldiers but only two Afghan civilians as interpreters in the lead Humvee behind one Abrams. The vehicles had left from the base earlier in the day and are now returning after investigating a claim that Al-Qaida and Taliban forces were nearby a small village.

After talking with the people in the village, the troops found out that it was simply a probe by the factions that didn't result in bloodshed. To one soldier, if not all, it struck a little odd because the Taliban and Al-Qaida often get their kicks out of killing innocents for no good reason at all.

The passenger of one Humvee, eighteen year old Tony Reynolds, sighs as he removes his Kevlar helmet and runs his fingers along his brown-stubbed scalp. A young Caucasian man, Tony had been sent to Afghanistan right after his training to replace the forces that were in country before him.

The driver, nineteen year old David Reilly, looks over at Tony and asks, "You okay, T-man? You look like you're about to toss."

"I'm okay, David. I'm just a little perplexed still about that report. Something inside me is just screaming that the day's about to get interesting."

"Well, we'll just blow up that ridge when we get to it."

"Yeah." Sighing, he returns his attention to the roadway beside the Humvee. 'Who knows how long this damn "ass" is going to take? I'll be lucky to see the end of Al-Qaida and the Taliban when this is all over!'

His musings come to an end as the lead vehicle, an Abrams, takes an impact out of nowhere, goes off the road and into a ditch. As the vehicle goes into the ditch, Tony can hear the fuel tank blow. "Oh shit. We lost Pounder 1, David! Get ready!"

"On it, T-man!" As Pounder group stops, the two young soldiers grab their LBEs and put them on before grabbing their M4 carbines.

Putting his Kevlar back on while exiting the Humvee, Reynolds shoulders his M4 carbine. 'Camel-fucking bastards!' When he sees a form under the sand, he takes action.

"Die!" Opening fire on full-auto with his M4, Reynolds grins grimly as he maintains fire. "You want some, come get some, you crazy camel-fucking bastard!"

Next thing he knows, the form jumps out of the sand and spears David with it's tail as he exits the Humvee. With the sharp end going into David's forehead and coming out the back of his skull. Tony can only stand shocked as David falls back into the Humvee. Dead.

"Oh shit! David!" Angered as he fires his carbine again, Tony concentrates his firepower onto the form. But the 5.56mm FMJ rounds have very little effect. Seeing the group of soldiers split off into a flanking position to shoot at the monstrosity, with the civilians taking cover, Tony gets a very good look at the form.

A massive machine in the shape of a scorpion with red glowing eyes. A badly battered one at that. An explosion beside and in front of him is the next thing he hears. The shockwave is enough to knock him to the side. A sharp impact to the ground knocks the breath out of him and knocks him out.

Two hours later, inside her stolen Arm Slave, cloaked in ECS, Yu Fan walks the massive machine along an Afghani pathway. It had taken her two days to get to Afghanistan and three to get herself back into piloting shape before leaving Hong Kong. Traveling during the night and resting during the day, with the Arm Slave in constant ECS, was starting to take a toll on the young assassin. Along with the AS.

Feeling the urge to wreak destructive havoc, she does so with the anti-AS Gatling cannon that the AS is carrying. Aiming at a nearby canyon wall, she opens fire. Going through the magazine in seconds, she drops the weapon, sure that she could crush the enemy sure to come.

When she comes across a group of wrecked Military vehicles, she mentally asks, 'What happened here?' Panning her machine's head around, she maintains her stoic expression upon seeing no sign of aggressors. Only bodies lying on the ground. 'Nothing for me to do here. Moving on to objective.' Before she can move though, she sees a form stirring on the ground. 'A survivor? Impossible! Then again…'

Lowering her Arm Slave to the ground, she quickly opens the hatch and jumps out. Calmly walking toward the form as it curses in English while looking inside the wreckage, she feels the corners of her lips quirking upward. But quickly stops it.

"Oh, of all the bitching, side-sucking, ass-fuckings, this takes the fucking cake! The fucking radio's shot!" The form then starts muttering incoherently before it starts laughing bitterly. "I still can't believe that big ass mechanized freak wiped my fellow soldiers out! If it finds the base, we're fucking done for!"

Turning around, the form sees her and laughs again. "Welcome to 'Death Ridge, Afghanistan', Miss! I'm Private First Class Tony Reynolds. I'll be your tour guide through this trauma zone! How'd you get here?"

A sensation that Yu Fan had never felt before threatens to erupt, but she suppresses it in time to ask, "Are you okay?" At this time, she's within arms reach of him, ready to snap his neck.

"Oh I'm just fine." Looking toward the corpses on the hill and around him, he keeps his smile before frowning as he adds, "But they're not." His eyes rolling back, he passes out and falls forward into her arms.

Yu Fan can't help sigh in disgust that he'd cheated her out of killing him. But, she feels his torso moving and sweatdrops. 'He must have played dead until the danger passed. That or he was knocked out!' She then gently puts him down onto the ground to finish him. Swiftly.

"You were so brave to face off against the threat, but you also lost your comrades. That's why I'm giving you a quick death. Here's something for you to take with you."

Removing his Kevlar to kiss his forehead, she sees that he's almost her age. If not slightly past it. Ignoring that fact, she gently kisses his forehead and thinks, 'You're too young to have this kind of burden on you. Sleep well, soldier. You've more than earned it.' Roughly taking his head into her hands, she prepares to twist it. But she doesn't. She just holds his head, curious about the feeling that's starting to rise in her.

As she holds him, she gives him a quick look over to see if he has any wounds. Upon seeing none, she shakes her head in bemusement as she says, "You were so lucky you made it through it all. I should kill you, but I can wait a while on that. Yeah. I can wait. I'll just hold off on that and hold you."

On Merida Island, Sousuke and Kaname are watching their Arm Slaves being loaded onto a waiting Mithril transport plane. Kaname had done her training in five days, for it had taken her a while to master the controls in the M9, which had been customized with a massive halisen fan instead of a 57mm weapon. Presumably for keeping Sousuke in line or to chastise him after he does something ridiculous in Arbalest.

As the couple watches the loading crew, Commander Mardukas walks up to the couple and says, "Lieutenant Sagara, Lieutenant Commander Kalinin wants to see you in his office."

"Understood, sir. Kaname as well?"

"I don't see why not."

"Roger." As the couple heads out of the Hangar area, Sousuke looks over at Kaname, clad in her black AS suit with blue trim, and asks, "You okay, Kaname?"

Looking over at her husband in his red-trimmed black AS suit, she nods and replies, "Yeah. I'm just wondering what the Lieutenant Commander wants."

"We'll find out when we get to his office." Three minutes later, they're in front of the office door and Sousuke knocks. "Lieutenant Sagara reporting as ordered, sir. Mrs Sagara is requesting permission to enter, sir."

"Come in, both of you." The couple can't help but notice that the normally gruff voice is touched with a hint of melancholy.

As Sousuke opens the door, he waves Kaname in ahead of him. Giving him a quick nod, Kaname goes in, only to feel a soft and flirtatious slap on her rear end.

Blushing, she winks back at Sousuke and says, "You just wait, soldier. You'll get yours."

"Promise?"

Sitting at his desk, Kalinin can't help but be equally annoyed and amused by Sousuke and Kaname's antics. "Today, Lieutenant, today."

"Yes, sir." Closing the door behind him, Sousuke steps to Kaname's side and salutes his father-figure. "Lieutenant Sousuke Sagara and Mrs Kaname Sagara reporting, sir." Kaname, although being a civilian, salutes the Russian as well.

"At ease, both of you." At this point, it's taking the Lieutenant Commander's strength to not burst out laughing at them moving in sync with each other. "In regards to your query, Lieutenant, I have some news."

"Query? News? What's he talking about, Sousuke?"

"Comrade Sergeant Dimitri Ilyasovich of the Red Army, Kaname. I asked the Lieutenant Commander if he could get me any information about him. I'm guessing he got some."

"Indeed, Lieutenant." Opening a folder in front of him, he says, "Comrade Lieutenant Ilyasovich is living in Moscow under care of his daughter Irina Kusonovskiya."

"Kusonovskiya?" Kaname is perplexed as she asks, "Wouldn't she share his last name if she was his daughter, sir?"

"She did, Mrs Sagara. Irina had married, only her husband had died recently in Chechen conflict. She has yet to regain her maiden name."

"Bummer."

"Indeed." Looking up at Sousuke, he goes on, "Comrade Lieutenant Ilyasovich had lost his lower legs during night battle in Balkan war. As such, he is rumored to be unable to care for himself, hence Irina's presence at her Father's side."

"I see, sir. I'll make it a point to visit him sometime soon." Looking over at Kaname, he asks, "Would you like to go along, Kaname?"

"Sure. I've never been to Moscow before, but I've heard that Red Square is an interesting tourist site."

"Indeed it is, Mrs Sagara. I still carry many fond memories of my homeland. Red Square being one of many."

"Why not come along, sir? I'm sure you feel quite homesick. Not to mention I'm sure your family misses you deeply. If you have one, that is."

"Alas, I cannot, Mrs Sagara. Ever since before end of Soviet Union's involvement in Afghanistan, I've been declared traitor and ordered shot to death on sight."

Realizing what he was talking about, Kaname softly says, "It was when you spoke out against the atrocities you'd seen carried out against the children, wasn't it."

"Only partially correct. It was far more than that, Mrs Sagara."

"Sir?" Sousuke's concerned tone has Kalinin grateful, but he gives Sousuke a look to not press the issue. "Yes sir."

"Here's his address in Moscow." Lifting a sheet out of the folder, he adds, "As far as Information can tell, it's still current."

"Roger that, sir. We'll probably go there after we recover my parents' bodies."

"Very good, Lieutenant. Good luck in carrying out your familial obligations."

"Sir." Giving Kalinin a salute, the two teens give him a soft smile when he returns the salute and soft smile in return.

Back in Afghanistan, an hour later, Yu Fan stirs herself awake upon feeling Tony move within her arms. 'I must have zonked out.' Inwardly cursing herself for falling asleep, she can't help but look down as Tony opens his eyes and smiles faintly.

"Am I dead?"

Unemotionally, she replies, "No. You're still alive." Mentally adding, 'For now.' She then asks, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I could swear I'm in the arms of an angel. An angel of the desert, but an angel nonetheless." The remark has Yu Fan feeling heat coming from her cheeks and the corners of her lips quirking upward again. Once again, she manages to stop them.

"I'm not sure I'd call myself an angel. A demoness would be more apt in my case."

"Why do you say that?" Sighing, she elects to tell him the truth about herself.

"I'm a cold killer. At least I'm supposed to be."

"I don't see you that way."

"I was going to break your neck, but didn't. Yet. I just held you when I should have killed you and be done with it."

"Well, maybe you got tired of it all. Maybe you want to redeem yourself."

Shaking her head, she neutrally replies, "I'm too far gone. I recently killed a young woman because she knew of my existence."

"My Father, who's a minister at our Church, once told me 'The journey to redemption begins with a single act, step or thought. The more wrong you've done, the longer it'll be. But the journey to redemption is well worth it'. I believe in that, because I'm living it right now."

"Oh really?" Feeling the corners of her lips quirk upward again, she does nothing to stop it. "What could possibly have you want redemption? You seem like a good person."

"I was a bit of a hell-raiser as a kid. Always getting myself into trouble over the littlest things. Never hurt anyone up until one day."

"What happened?"

"As a hell-raiser, I was also a bit of a bully. A kid I roughed up stood up to me once and I smacked him down. When I saw his blood coming out of his head, I knew I crossed the line. So did my folks."

"Is he alive still?"

"Yeah, but he's undergoing therapy still for speech and motion." Giving her a sad smile, he adds, "This is my penance for that act. Take out my aggression on the ultimate bullies of the world." A sound she had never emitted before comes out, and she's stunned that she can't stop it. "You have a cute giggle."

Still giggling, she replies, "Something tells me you'd fit in fine with an outfit I know of and fought against. They face off against global bullies as well."

"How about you? What's your life story like?"

Getting her giggles under wraps, she replies, "I don't think you'll like what I have to say."

"Try me. I'm pretty sure I've heard it all before. Nice girl gone bad, done things she wasn't proud of before and now is pissed off at the world." Unable to resist, she busts out laughing a full belly laugh, with Tony joining her. Still laughing, she struggles to get her reply out.

"No! Nothing that close!" Calming her laughter down, she says, "Our village in China was destroyed when a terrorist group known as Amalgam started a civil war. My twin sister and I were the only survivors. Our Sensei found us and took us under his wing. He taught us to fight and survive while killing our enemies."

"I'd say he did a pretty good job. What happened then?"

"He ran across Amalgam and hatched a plan that would allow us our revenge. However, he also had other plans for us on the side."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Do you remember the flight from Tokyo to Okinawa? The one that was hijacked and taken to Khanka?"

"All too well. The UN pulled off the rescue op."

"It wasn't the UN. Remember that group I mentioned? The ones that dealt with the global bullies?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"They're the ones that pulled off the rescue."

"I see. But, if you and your sister wanted payback, why didn't you join the other group?"

"At that time, we were far too under Amalgam's control as contracted killers. Even more, Sensei would not have allowed it for he hated the group and would have done anything to destroy it."

"Jeez, talk about your peer pressure."

"Correct." Tony lifts his head up and looks around, frowning in concern. "What are you looking for?"

Putting his head back down, he replies, "Your sister. I'm sure she'd be traveling with you right now."

"She isn't. She died at the hands of Amalgam." Before she can say any more, Tony lifts his head up and looks around again. "What is it this time?"

"You ever get the feeling you're being watched?" At her nod, Tony then says, "I've got that feeling too and it's going a hundred miles a minute." Easing himself up from the ground, he makes his way back to the Humvee and picks up his M4. Meanwhile, Yu Fan races over to her still-cloaked Arm Slave and prepares for battle. While fighting her inner instincts.

'You should have killed him while you had the chance, Yu Fan!'

_'No! That's not acceptable! Not anymore!'_

'He's the enemy and needs to die!' Her inner battle ebbs away as she grits her teeth.

"I'll decide what to do when the time comes. For right now, I could use the company. If Yu Lan can't be with me anymore, then Tony will do just as well for company." Activating her Arm Slave's external speakers, she asks, "What's the plan?"

**"For now, we just hold this position until we can determine what we have. Do you have night vision?"**

"Yes. I'm activating it now."

**"Okay. When you see something, please let me know. I don't want to fire unless I really have to."**

"Understood." Next thing she knows, she sees twenty men, all dressed in rags and carrying AK-47s. "We have possible hostiles, all carrying AK-47s."

**"Roger that."** Tony then adds, **"By the way, I never got your name."**

"Xia Yu Fan."

**"Pretty name. Just like the girl attached to it."** Yu Fan can't help but feel her cheeks heat up again as she watches the hill.

'Get hold of yourself, Yu Fan! He's the enemy! He's just saying that to get into your AS suit!'

_'You say that like it's a bad thing! I haven't had sex in a while, for crying out loud!'_ She suddenly slaps herself after taking an arm out of the control waldo and shakes her head.

"What the fuck was that about? Sure, he's a young man and I'm a young woman. Add to that we just met!"

_'Admit it. You just want a good roll to feel alive again!'_

While Yu Fan is fighting her hormones, Tony is keeping watch until he hears chattering in Arabic and figures something is happening. "Whatever you guys want, it ain't worth it! The hill's laced with land mines! So back the fuck off unless you want to be nominated for a fucking Darwin Award!"

"American, I want to talk to you! Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I can hear you! What do you want, brain donor?"

"Simple! I, Mullah Omar of the Taliban, want all American forces to withdraw from Afghanistan, Iraq and the other Palestine lands it's unlawfully embedded into!"

"Not happening, camel fucker! We've got a job to do and that is to stop terrorist scum and their supporters! Like you for example, brain donor!"

"You coward! You dare to call us terrorists when you're killing our women and children from afar? You're in no position to say what we are or not!"

"That's the difference between us right there, you blind, crazy-ass brain donor! We want to keep civilian casualties to a minimum as much as possible! You and your buddies, on the other hand, seem to get your camel-fucking rocks off by killing as many people as you can!"

"You lie! For that, you die!" Next thing the speaker knows, a large foot comes out of nowhere and kicks some of his men aside. "What is this shit?"

Inside the freshly de-cloaked Arm Slave, Yu Fan lightly grins as she says, "Time to put a scare into some naughty little boys." As rifle fire rains upward onto the Arm Slave, Yu Fan can only shake her head in mock pity. "You boys never heard of Arm Slaves? Where the Hell have you been living? In a cave?"

Back beside the Humvee, Tony can only stare in disbelief as he watches the Arm Slave walk steadily toward the raggedly-dressed men. Recalling the speaker from earlier, he returns his attention to the hill and sees a figure standing stock-still in shock.

'Better wake this guy up otherwise he won't be much for conversation.' Aiming his M4 at the ground, just in front of and between the man's feet, he squeezes off a round. Next thing he knows, a massive explosion happens, causing a chain reaction of landmines going off rapidly. Causing bodies to fly all over the place. Some screaming, some silent. As he watches the men take flight, Tony can't help but freak out.

"Aw shit! You're kidding me! You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Inside the Arm Slave, Yu Fan struggles to maintain control of the Arm Slave through the explosions going off around her. Seeing Tony with his jaw dropped, she decides to jump the AS down onto the ground and kneels it.

Quickly opening the hatch, she scrambles out of the machine and runs over to Tony, worried that he may be harmed. All while debating with herself still.

'Why are you so concerned about him? He's just going to die like those other guys just did. Of course, it won't be with as much style.'

_'I'm concerned because he's good company. He doesn't make me feel as lonely at all.'_

When she gets to him, she asks, "You okay?" She could swear she hears clicking coming from Tony's neck as he slowly turns his head to face her.

Sheepishly grinning, he asks, "Did I just do that?"

"That depends. Do you know what happened?"

"Yeah. I saw the one guy was stunned when your Arm Slave went to town on those guys, so I thought I'd wake him up. I aimed for just in front of and between his feet. Next thing I knew, boom. He went flying through the air with the greatest of ease." Yu Fan starts giggling, with Tony joining her. Calming down to a light snicker, she grins.

"You must have hit a land mine without knowing it. It was only an accident and both of us are still alive. I don't know about any other survivors."

"I'm alive, but you won't be for long, infidels." Yu and Tony both turn toward the voice and see a heavily bleeding man, clutching his weapon. "Once I kill the both of you, I can die and go to paradise."

Moving to shield Yu Fan with his body, Tony asks, "How the fuck are you still alive? No one could have survived that blasting massacre."

"I'm not surviving. I'm dying. But I aim to send you both to Hell! For killing Mullah Omar!"

Looking back and forth at each other and nodding, Tony and Yu both quickly overpower the man and drag him toward the Humvee. The act itself has Yu puzzled though.

"After what just happened, won't the vehicle be unable to run?"

"Good question. Let's find out the answer. Hmm?" Pushing the man to against the Humvee, he adds, "He moves, he dies."

"Understood." She then watches Tony as he brings out David's corpse from the Humvee and gently lays it onto the ground. "They messed up your comrade pretty badly."

"Yeah I'll say. Only it was a big-ass scorpion that did it. But I think it'll be best if we messed this camel-fucker up as well."

"Hey, what's going on here?" The man is confused until he hears the Humvee's engine try to start. "Are you going to drag me along the ground? You're terrible!"

"Hmm, dragging your dumb ass all along the trail. I like that idea. But, I have something else in mind, brain donor. Something meaner than what you can imagine." Giving the engine three more tries, he snarls and says, "This guy's not going anywhere. I'm going to check the other vehicles, minus the two Abrams and the Bradley since I wasn't trained to drive them. Yu, if you'd be so kind as to watch over 'Abdullah' here."

"Understood. But what if none of the others run?"

"Way I see it, we've got two options. We walk or we use your AS with you in the pilot's seat. Given what I saw before you arrived, I don't think walking is going to work. Not with that thing still out there."

"What'd you see?"

"A big-ass mechanized scorpion that looked like it was fucking pissed off!" Looking toward their prisoner, he adds, "Of course, we can always have 'Abdullah' here walk either in front of or behind the AS acting as bait. That way, if it shows up again, it'll go after him first."

"Sounds like an acceptable plan for dealing with this situation."

"Wait! You're an American! You have to take me in! I demand to see a lawyer! I have rights as an American citizen!" Stunned, Yu looks over at Tony and sees him shrug in perplexity. "That's right. I'm one of you, man!"

Tony ponders it and makes a judgment call. "You lost your citizenship the minute you sided with the enemy, traitor. Yu, let's do this."

"Roger." Yu then roughly places the 'American Taliban' onto the ground. "Don't move, brain donor."

All while 'Abdullah' protests, Tony checks the vehicles he could easily operate. With the same results as before. Non-operational.

"You can't do this to me!"

"Shut it, brain donor. You're in deep enough shit as it is and you're just making it even deeper." Turning her attention to Tony, she notices his mood as he walks up and shakes his head. "None running?"

"Yeah. We gotta make our way to the base on foot."

"Understood."

"Don't I get any say in this?"

"Far as I'm concerned, you have no authority or position to make demands of any kind. Yu, let's strap 'Abdullah' here behind the AS. I don't trust him one bit to sit beside or even near me. Besides." Looking toward David's body, he adds, "One hand's the only dignified place for David to be transported back to base."

"I agree."

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"No, you don't, 'Abdullah'. You get no say whatsoever. But hey, congratulations. You just started an exciting new career as big-ass mechanical scorpion bait." Yu Fan can't help but let a dark giggle erupt as 'Abdullah' is lifted up off of the ground. "You lucky devil."

Snorting incredulously, 'Abdullah' sarcastically says, "Oh yes, lucky me. Allah will be so pleased I volunteered for this noble duty."

"That's the spirit." Yu Fan can't help but giggle at Tony's enthusiasm toward 'Abdullah'.

With that, the two strap 'Abdullah' to behind the Chodarl, facing forward, before placing David's body into the left hand of the AS, with Yu Fan getting into the cockpit as Tony gets into the right hand, and head out. With the AS making it's way along the hot desert floor and 'Abdullah' yelping at the hot sand against his feet. For the movement of the AS was enough to yank him out of the sandals.

Meanwhile, the Mithril transport plane is nearing it's drop zone. A highly-nervous Kaname peers at her HUD on the M9's console and grimaces.

"Can you please tell me why we can't just land and walk these Arm Slaves out, Sousuke? I mean, jumping out of a perfectly good airplane just doesn't seem natural to me."

**"You're right, it isn't. But, the paratroopers back in the days of WW2 knew that seconds counted during the battle. If time was taken for a plane to land, debark it's troops and take off again, then the chance was high that either the plane, the soldiers it was carrying or both would be blown out of the sky."**

"Yeah, I guess so. But, still…" Semi-relieved to hear Sousuke chuckling, Kaname chuckles as well. "You don't like the idea very much, do you? But you also favor the quickest means available. Which means that you are something of a paradox."

**"Well, we already know how much you like a good paradox."**

"Hmm, oh yes. Very much. And, if I remember correctly, it was a paradox that saved your life in China, too. Yours, Kurz' and Melissa's. Along with the other remaining soldiers and the hostages."

**"Affirmative."**

_"Lieutenant and Mrs Sagara, you have an incoming transmission from Merida Island. Also, we're coming up on the drop point. Arrival in five minutes."_

Kaname can tell that Sousuke is lightly grinning as he replies, **"Roger. Thank you."** He then says, **"Sagara here."**

_"Lieutenant Sagara, this is Captain Testarossa. I thought I'd call you to tell you both personally about a startling development."_

**"What kind of development, Madam Captain?"**

_"A body's been found. In Hong Kong. A young woman."_

**"I see. But, how is it startling, Madam Captain?"**

_"The face on the victim is nearly identical to Mrs Sagara's."_

**"Understood, Madam Captain. Has an investigation been launched yet?"**

_"Yes. Our man in Hong Kong was able to get the victim's name and occupation. Her name was Mei Ching, a prostitute that lived and worked in Hong Kong. I'm sure you came across a few faces when you walked off on the Hong Kong assignment."_

**"Affirmative. She was one of them. But she got upset with me when she tried seducing me."**

At this point, Kaname interjects into the conversation. Angrily. "So let me get this straight. You came across a whore that looks like me, Sousuke? A whore that later on died?"

**"Affirmative, Kaname. But nothing happened between us at all."**

"I see. Tessa, do you have a picture of the body?"

_"Yes, I do, Mrs Sagara. I must admit, it nearly had my spine curl up when I saw the picture. Ms Ching almost looked exactly like you."_

"I see. Which brings up a bigger question. Who killed her and why?"

**"Can you think of anyone that might want you dead, honey?"**

"Other than that crazed assassin bitch and the crazies that came after me before, not really Sousuke."

_"In any case, Mrs Sagara, I advise you to exercise extreme caution while in Afghanistan. Lieutenant, guard your wife well and good luck on recovering your parents' bodies."_

**"Roger, Madam Captain. Urzu 1 and Angel, signing off." **

With that, the two Arm Slaves leap out into the pre-night sky and their parachutes automatically deploy. As they float down to the ground, their ECS activates.

On Merida Island, inside the communications room, Tessa smiles sadly as she adds, "Godspeed, Sousuke and Kaname Sagara." Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looks up at Mardukas and smiles. "I can't help but feel I could do more for him and her from here, Mr Mardukas."

"The only thing you can do for the Lieutenant and his wife is to pray for their successful and safe return, Madam Captain. Your prayers and a lot of luck."

Giggling lightly, Tessa retorts, "Lieutenant Sagara makes his own luck, but a little extra can't really hurt."

"No, it can't Captain. Thinking of, a new team leader for Team Ruby has been selected. He's waiting outside your office." Nodding, Tessa picks up her can of chilled coffee and starts sipping as they exit.

"I see. Do you have his dossier handy?"

"I do indeed, Madam Captain." Bringing up a folder, he clears his throat and begins. "John William McLain. Served in the US Marine Corps for six years, got a bad conduct discharge when he went after the man that killed his older sister, a Federal Agent, for the second time."

"Federal Agent? The second time? What happened?"

"Even though the evidence against him was strong enough, the man's lawyers had a field day in trying to get it dismissed. The man was released from prison on pending retrial just last week. McLain didn't like that very much. So, while the guy was on his way home, McLain finished what had set out to do. Putting the man and his entourage six feet under."

"Sounds like justifiable circumstances to me, Commander. Did anyone speak on his behalf?"

"Yes. The Staff Sergeant that was sent to pick him up the first time around and Texas Ranger Cordell Walker."

"Walker? Wasn't he the lawman that our friends on Team Hawk had gone to Texas to assist?"

"The very same, Madam Captain." Giving a slight grimace, he reads from the folder as he adds, "There's even a rumor floating that on the night after he killed the man that killed his sister, McLain got so physically intoxicated, he allowed himself to be tattooed."

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad, Commander. Lots of people have tattoos, after all." With that, she smiles as she takes a drink of chilled coffee.

"The rumor states he allowed the tattoo to be put on his genitalia."

At the sound of Tessa choking on her coffee, Mardukas quickly thumps her back. Finally swallowing the coffee, Tessa takes a deep breath before turning back to Mardukas.

"You mean?" At his nod and grim expression, she mutters, "Great. Just what Mithril needs. A man that supposedly has a tattoo on his dick." Blushing at her wording, she claps her hands over her mouth. 'Oh shit! Melissa's rubbing off on me!'

Looking up to see the man's stunned face, Tessa moves her hands and says, "Not a word, Commander Mardukas. I've been under the influence of Sergeant Major Mao before her return to Tokyo with Sergeant Weber, Kyoko, Shinji and Sousuke Jr."

"I understand, Madam Captain."

"How did Mr McLain come to join Mithril?"

"Given the circumstances, his former superiors felt that he'd be better suited with us. His unarmed combat skills are just about on par with Lieutenant Sagara's, as are his camouflage, ambush and weaponry tactics."

With a scowl, he adds, "Of course, they could have been prudes and decided it wasn't good policy to have a man with the words _'Semper Fidelis'_ tattooed on that particular spot. If it's true, that is." Tessa can't help but roll her eyes as she finishes her coffee and drops it into the nearest trash can.

"Can't wait to meet him." When they get to the outside of her office, Tessa catches sight of a tall man wearing a casual suit and his hair in a buzz-cut trim. "Former Marine Sergeant J.W. McLain?"

"I am, ma'am."

"I'm Captain Teletha Testarossa. Welcome to Mithril's West Pacific Ocean Fleet Base for the Tactical Division." Giving his hand a soft shake, she's surprised that his grip is strong, yet gentle.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am. But, seriously. Where's the head honcho at? You're just a teen still." Much to his surprise, Tessa giggles as she guides him into her office. "Was it something I said?"

Back in Afghanistan, as the Chodarl AS walks along, Yu Fan looks over at a scowling Tony and asks, "You okay, Tony? You look so angry."

**"I always look this way when I'm hungry. Be it before breakfast, lunch or dinner. If the**** gu****y****s**** see me scowling or looking angry, they know enough to not cross me at all. Because I just might go cannibal on the****ir asses****."** Yu Fan is in disbelief until he smirks and winks.

**"Nah, just kidding on the cannibal part. But I am hungry. I sure can go for a pound of ground round and put it down my neck."**

"That sounds attractive. That doesn't explain why you look so angry, though."

**"I'm mainly pissed because I have to tell my NCOIC and OIC why my buddy's going into a fucking body bag. Along with the other soldiers that died out there. And to think my first 'ass' would be boring. Shows how wrong I was."**

"There was nothing you could have done. Even more, there was no way you could have known there'd be a mechanized scorpion that would kill everyone with you. As for your first 'ass', I'd say you're handling it very well. Unless you'd like to handle my ass as well."

**"****Hmm, sounds fun. ****I'll let you know about that, Yu."** That remark in itself has her cheeks feeling warm again and her heart racing. With her liking the feelings.

Smiling softly, she softly replies, "I'll be waiting, Tony. Any idea as to why your Patrol was attacked?"

**"No idea at all. But it did look pretty badly battered. If I had to hazard a guess, it'd have to be it was pissed off because someone beat it up and it wanted payback on a ground unit."** Tony then chuckles darkly and adds, **"Of course, we could always have 'Abdullah' ask it why it had attacked. I don't know if he'll like the answer he gets, though."**

"That makes some kind of sense and sounds like an idea." Suddenly, the Chodarl's sensors picks up a tremor underground and right behind the AS. "We have an incoming hostile."

Stopping the machine and turning it around, she quickly notices 'Abdullah' taking flight. Courtesy of a large spiked tail from underground. "It seems your attacker from earlier took and accepted the bait." Remembering, she asks, "Could you ask the big scorpion why it's attacking, 'Abdullah'?" But she gets no reply. As 'Abdullah's already on the ground dead.

**"You get an ident on it?**** Or an answer**** at least****"**

"Negative. It's something I've never seen before. Could very well have been your attacker. 'Abdullah's dead. I don't think he even got to ask." Another alert comes up and Yu Fan scans around the AS. The scan picks up two Arm Slaves that are landing in the middle of a sand storm. "If we can make our way over there, we can link up with the Arm Slaves that just dropped in. If it's who I think it is, we may need help from them."

**"You mean the sandstorm over there?"**

"Correct."

**"That's madness!"**

"I appreciate your concern, but it's not required. Chances are, I won't be alive for much longer, given my intent."

**"Amalgam?"** At her mecha's head-nod, he adds, **"It'd be suicide!"**

"Then so be it." With that, she rapidly pilots the AS toward the sand storm, her rear sensors monitoring the area behind her.

Meanwhile, Sousuke and Kaname are moving their machines along the Afghani desert, with Sousuke in deep concentration over what's to come. Prior to landing in Afghanistan, both teens had to deactivate their ECS as the sand storms in that particular area were bad.

In his seat, Sousuke can't help but think about what had happened the day his parents died. But one thing had always bothered him.

'Just how did Oshimura know where to find us? I don't think Mom and Dad told him. Grandmother sure as hell didn't know. Nor do I think she even cared about where we were.'

**"Sous-kun, you okay?"**

"Affirmative, Kana-kun. I was just pondering about something that's been bothering me lately. It's not a problem."

**"You silly. Your problems are my problems. Like my problems are your problems. You don't have to carry the burden or ponder something bothersome all by yourself, you know? Talk to me, sweetie. Please?"**

"Okay. Here goes. What's been bothering me is how Oshimura even found us when my parents died. They certainly didn't tell him, at least I don't think they did."

**"Yeah, plus your Mom didn't really trust that guy. Neither did Aunt Zunika for that matter."**

"Correct. It had to have been someone despicable enough to betray my family's trust like that."

**"Betray? You mean you think your parents' location was betrayed to him of all scumbags?"**

"It's the only sensible conclusion I can come up with, Kaname. It had to be someone that knew my folks, where they were and their routines."

**"Who do you think it was?"**

"That is the biggest question of them all, Kaname."

**"Who all knew your parents over here?"**

"It's been a long time, Kaname. My memory's still a bit hazy, but it's coming back to me."

**"Well, just be subtle."**

"Don't worry. I'll be subtle. I'm good at subtle."

**"Yeah. Where have I heard that before?"** Kaname's voice breaks into gentle, mirth-filled laughter as the couple remembers the jewelry store owner that nearly had a heart attack on the train on their way to school. Sousuke can't help but laugh as well until Kaname calms her laughter down. **"So, where exactly is it that we're going to anyway?"**

"We're going to the house where my folks and I lived. It's also where they're buried at."

**"How long are we going to be there, Sousuke?"**

"It depends on how hard the ground is. The rebels that buried my parents had them facing toward Mecca, as it was their custom under Islam when it comes to unfamiliar bodies." Next thing Sousuke knows, AL chimes in.

**"Lieutenant, Arm Slave approaching. Chodarl-class. Orders?"**

"Activate external parabolic microphones and hold current position."

**"Roger. Wait one minute for order to fully process."** With that, Sousuke feels Arbalest stop. With Kaname's M9 following suit behind it.

**"Sous****uke, what's going on? Why did you**** stop?"**

"AL's detected an AS. A Chodarl-class."

**"Could this get messy?"**

"Potentially, Kaname." At this point, AL gives it's report.

**"Lieutenant, the Chodarl is in retreat with an underground anomaly in pursuit."**

"Roger. Let's go in, Kaname. Unarmed until we find aggressors."

**"Funny. I was about to tell you the same thing, ****Sousuke ****'Demolition Man'**** Sagara****."**

Inside the AS, Yu Fan is feeling something she hadn't felt in a long while. Pure unadulterated fear. Panning her mecha's head, she gazes upon Tony and sees a slight smile on his face.

"You okay, Tony?" Gently turning at Yu Fan's voice, Tony gives her a soft nod. "Good." The AS alert comes up, prompting her to start smiling happily herself. "We're getting closer, Tony! We're going to make it! Just hang on tight! Look! Dead ahead!" Tony looks forward and sees two Arm Slaves, both a different color scheme from each other and the Chodarl, and finds himself curious.

**"What kind are they?"**

"One is the Arbalest, designation number unknown. The other is an M9 Gernsback. Only one man I know of can pilot the Arbalest. The M9 is a different matter."

**"Why's that?"**

"Arbalest's pilot is currently on his honeymoon with his wife. Or so the news' web-sites claim."

**"Could it be he taught her to pilot?"**

"Unlikely. Then again, you never know. Stranger things have happened in this world." Giving a wry grin, she then begins her address. "Attention Arbalest and M9 Arm Slaves. I mean you no harm. I have an emergency situation. I repeat. I mean you no harm and am declaring an emergency situation."

**"Arbalest here. What is your ****emergency?****"**

"My companion and I are being pursued by a massive machine that looks like a scorpion. My AS is completely unarmed as I'd previously expended all the ammunition upon my arrival in Afghanistan. I have two soldiers with me. One living, one deceased."

**"****Understood****"**

Inside his AS, Sousuke says, "Stay ready, AL."

**"Roger."** AL then gives an alert. **"****Anomaly detected. Firing chain guns.****"**

As the head-mounted machine guns fire, the massive form leaps up out of the ground and sends it's tail forward. Right into the Chodarl's back. Just as .50 rounds from the guns impact with the form, it goes back underground. Only to jump back up again, making it's way toward Arbalest.

Inside her M9, Kaname gulps as she watches the Chodarl go down. "Sousuke, the chain guns are having no effect. Use your 5-7 Boxer. Bring the rain, honey! Show this piece of junk who's boss! I'll help the Chodarl!"

**"****Roger."** As she watches Arbalest's arm swing down to behind and below the weapon rack, she grins maliciously upon seeing the shotgun-like weapon drop into Arbalest's hand. **"You want some? Come get some, freak!"** As Arbalest fires the Boxer Cannon at the machine, Kaname pilots her M9 toward the downed AS.

"What's your status, Chodarl pilot?" Much to Kaname's surprise, the responding voice is feminine, yet unemotional.

**"My coolant tank's ruptured****, as is my reactor,**** and I can't open my hatch. Get the soldiers out of my hands.****"** The neutral voice soon takes on a panicked tone as it adds,**"****Quickly! The Lambda Driver****'s starting to overheat!**** And it's not even active! The reactor must be feeding the energy into it! Hurry!****"**

"Copy that. Once I've got them out of your hands, I'll cut open the pilot compartment so you can escape as well." Having the AS reach back for it's monomolecular cutter, she can't help but be shocked at what she hears next.

**"Don't ****worry about me! If I die, it**** wi****ll**** be better off! Concentrate on them!****"**

"Don't say that, _baka _pilot! Life's a gift, not meant to be wasted at all." To prove her point, Kaname brings out her Arm Slave's dagger-shaped monomolecular cutter and swiftly cuts the mecha's hands off before turning the machine over and easing the chainsaw-like blade along the suspected area for the cockpit. 'I sure hope I've got the right spot!'

Meanwhile, Sousuke is firing the Boxer at the scorpion, scoring hits until the scorpion launches a blast from it's right claw. Just as when it's about to hit, Arbalest's Lambda Driver activates, deploys the fins, generates a shield and shields Arbalest's cockpit from the blast.

"All right, bucko. You mess with a Mithril warrior, you die!" Bringing up the ammunition count, he notices one round remains in the Boxer. "AL, lets see what kind of damage we can do with the Lambda Driver this time."

**"Roger."** Getting the mechanized menace's midsection and head into Arbalest's sights, Sousuke visualizes the target exploding and yells as he fires.

"Burn in Hell!" When the round impacts with the head and goes through into it's midsection, the scorpion-like machine shudders before falling down to the ground. And moves no more. "Is it dead, AL?"

**"Unknown, Lieutenant. Not being familiar with it, I cannot say for certain."**

"I guess we'll have to hope it is. Take a visual for Intelligence to analyze."

**"Roger."**

Back at the Chodarl's side, Kaname is helping the pilot out by having the pilot grab onto a finger on her M9 before having the soldier bring his buddy into her other hand. Upon seeing a series of sparks rise from the mecha, Kaname nervously backs away.

"Sousuke, the Chodarl's about to blow! The reactor and Lambda Driver have both gone critical mass! And the Lambda Driver wasn't even active!"

**"Roger. Hopefully whatever that thing was, it'll stay down**** when the Chodarl blows****. I had AL take a visual for Intelligence to analyze. Maybe they'll get a match on whatever it was."**

"Roger that." At that, the Arm Slaves rapidly head for a nearby canyon wall and take cover behind it. Just as the damaged Chodarl explodes, blowing the downed scorpion-like machine away. Like a van would be in a tornado. As the blast ebbs away, Kaname turns the M9 toward Arbalest and asks, "Where to now? Same place as before?"

**"Affirmative."**

"Lead on, Sousuke. You may want to keep your cannon out, though. Just in case there's more of that freak's kind out there."

**"Roger**** that****."** Looking beside her, she can see her beloved's Arm Slave reloading it's weapon from the recently-added spare ammunition pod on it's left hip. Within two minutes, reloading is completed.

"That bad, huh?"

**"Yeah. That bad."**

Three hours later, the two Arm Slaves reach their destination. A modest-looking, one-story hut that had clearly seen better days. Upon seeing the house, Kaname quickly sees two graves and figures they might be the graves of his parents. Once they reach the inner-most border, Kaname kneels her M9 down, allowing her passengers to hop off and remove the corpse from her left hand.

Once they're clear, Kaname has the M9 turn it's hands palms down and finishes kneeling. Once it's finished kneeling, she begins shutting it down. Right beside her, Arbalest is doing the same after having secured the Boxer in it's usual spot. Giddily opening the hatch, Kaname waits until the restraint system is fully off before scrambling out of the machine.

"Damn, what a rush!" The young blue-haired beauty gives a quick giggle as she spies her beloved, climbing out of his Arm Slave, adding, "Maybe next time we can do a BADU launch, Sousuke."

"Maybe. But, for now, we've got business to discuss here."

"Yeah. Ready?"

"Affirmative, Kaname. Let's go."

"Agreed."

With that, the two start walking side by side, their gun hands poised at their holsters. Ready to respond to any hostilities. As they approach their 'passengers', Kaname sees a familiar-looking face and instantly puts it out of her mind.

As she watches the young couple approaching, Yu Fan starts feeling the urge to kill, once again. But manages to suppress it. 'That is the young woman that Sensei claimed had made Sousuke weak? No. If anything, she's made him stronger.' Suddenly, she feels a hand gently encircling hers. Looking to her side, she sees Tony wearing a grin.

"I'm here for you, Yu Fan. You don't have to stand alone."

"Thank you." Yu Fan's voice is so quiet, not even Yu Fan could hear it. For she's blushing heavily as she looks down. Once the couple reaches them, Yu Fan looks back up, her face neutral once again.

Suddenly noticing Kaname's face go pale, Sousuke asks, "Kaname?"

"Sousuke, I think I may be nuts. But I'm pretty sure I see the girl that tried to kill me in Tokyo. The one that Leonard's Alastor had killed. Of course, her hair's longer. But it's the same girl. It has to be."

From her position, Yu Fan sighs. 'Might as well get this over with.' Starting to walk forward, she feels Tony's hand on her shoulder. "Please, Tony. I must do this."

"No you don't, Yu. Killing her won't bring your sister back, nor will it make things easier for you."

"Do not worry. I have no intent of killing Mrs Sagara. I did when I first woke up. But not anymore."

"What is it you're intending to do, then?"

"You'll see. Maybe." Relieved upon feeling his hand leave her shoulder, she steps forward, only to hear Tony's footsteps beside hers. "Tony?"

"Where you go, I go. What you do, I do." Giving her a soft smile, he adds, "Just think of me as moral support." Giving him a nod of thanks, Yu Fan proceeds onward. When the couple draws their weapons, Tony calls out, "Easy there! We just want to talk! Nothing more, nothing less!"

Kaname calls out, "That's all well and good, but how is she still alive? Leonard killed her! Or at least one of his mechanical minions did!"

"It was Leonard? Leonard Testarossa?" Yu Fan's fist shakes in anger as she asks, "How'd she die? How'd my sister die, Chidori-Sagara?" Not paying attention until the last minute, Kaname doesn't hesitate in giving her reply.

"The Alastor grabbed you and squeezed your neck when you attacked Leonard. Don't you remember?" Blinking, she then asks, "Sister?"

"Yes. I'm Xia Yu Fan. My sister was Xia Yu Lan. She was there for the purpose of killing you under Sensei's orders."

"Sensei?" Sousuke leans over and whispers into Kaname's ear. "You're kidding! No wonder you said he was like a ninja cockroach, Sousuke."

"What are you talking about? Sensei's long dead, from that blast in Hong Kong."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but he survived somehow. Maybe he created a clone of himself for all I know. When he 'died' in Hong Kong, I thought that was it. But we ran across him sometime later in Shanghai, China. He was running a criminal group known as the Sho-Da-Kah. That group was responsible for numerous acts of violence. Including the death of the original Street Hawk."

"Where's Sensei at now?"

"Last time we saw his scarred mug, it was in a glass jar in my Commanding Officer's office."

"Are you sure about that? After all, if you think he had himself cloned once, how are you so sure he didn't do it again?"

"Just gotta keep the faith. That's all. Besides, I think you'll be better off not being under his influence any more."

"That may be so. But I'm going to use my training to go after Leonard Testarossa."

"You want to tell her or should I, Sousuke?"

"I think it'll be better for you to tell her, Kaname."

"Tell me what? No, wait. Don't tell me the fucker's dead already."

"Okay. We won't." That gets Yu Fan to drop her jaw before snarling out.

"Damn it! Who am I going to kill now? I don't know who Mr Gold is. I mean, I can whack the structure of Amalgam pretty good. But I at least wanted the satisfaction of hurting Leonard."

"If you want, I could tell you how he died." At Kaname's words, both teens and Tony are treated to a pleading expression on Yu Fan's face. Along with highly eager.

"Oh yes. Please. Details, details."

"Okay. Why don't you ladies talk here and we can figure out where to go from there. Sound good?" When Yu Fan turns to him, he can see a faint smile on her lips.

"Very well, Tony. Kaname and I will talk while you talk with Sousuke."

"Works for me." Giving Sousuke a handshake, he adds, "Welcome to Afghanistan."

"Thank you, but I've been here before. Lieutenant Sousuke Sagara. My wife, Kaname."

"Private First Class Tony Reynolds, at your service, sir. Ma'am. Sorry about the circumstances, but they did fall under combat conditions."

"Not a problem, PFC." Turning to Kaname and Yu Fan, he adds, "Enjoy your chat, ladies."

"Oh, we will, Sousuke. We will." Once Sousuke and Tony had left the two alone, Kaname turns to Yu Fan and asks, "Why'd Gauron want me dead?"

"He felt you were making Sousuke weak. He wanted Sousuke to be the same cold-blooded killer he'd met in Afghanistan."

"How was Sousuke cold-blooded? The only people he killed were enemy troops and only in self-defense or protecting the innocent."

"It was during his time with the rebels that he was cold-blooded."

"Well, I'd say that Sousuke got some measure of humanity back when he joined Mithril. Fighting the good fight gives one their humanity back."

"I'm finding that may very well be the case. For once, I think Sensei was wrong about you. You didn't make Sousuke weak or soft. If anything, you made him stronger." Her face still neutral, she then asks, "How did you and Sousuke get together anyway?"

"Well, it's a long and convoluted story. But, we have a day or two I think." With that, Kaname tells Yu Fan about when they actually fell in love with each other.

In the meantime, Sousuke is still mulling over the days before his parents died. One day, in particular comes to mind.

_(Flashback)_

_An eight-year old Sousuke opened his eyes to another Afghani sunrise and smiled as he got out of bed. Softly walking out of his room, he came across his Father as he was yawning._

_"Morning, Daddy."_

_"Morning, Sousuke. Have a good night?"_

_"It was okay.__ So, what're we doing today?__"_

_"We'__re going to a refugee camp about twenty miles away from here.__" At that point, there was a knock on the front door. _

_Puzzled, Sousuke asked, __"Who __could that be__?"_

_"One way to find out, Sousuke. Let's see, huh?" Smiling at Sousuke's nod, Fumiko led his son to the front door and opened it. Upon seeing the visit__or, he switched to Arabic and began conversing, with the visitor seemingly returning the greeting. The visitor then saw Sousuke and spoke towards him.__ Sousuke looked to__ward Fumiko and back toward the visitor__ before blinking again and bowing in greeting._

_As Fumiko told the visitor something in Arabic, the man chuckled good-naturedly and returned serve. Fumiko seemed to have agreed, for he switched back to Japanese when he turned back toward Sousuke._

_"Aziz greeted you, but you didn't understand him. His niece__, Fatima,__ will help you understand his native tongue."_

_"Okay, Daddy." His eyes going wide, he asked, "A girl? Uck! They have cooties, Daddy!" Much to Sousuke's shock, Fumiko started chuckling. "It's not funny, Daddy."_

_"You'll see, son. I take it you didn't quite believe your Mom."_

_"Nope. What girl could possibly like me?" Looking down toward the floor, Sousuke couldn't help but remember the girl his Grandmother had introduced him to__ three months before leaving Japan. __Along with what she had said to him.__"Maybe all I am is a nobody."_

_"Sousuke, never be so down on yourself. Remember, you are a Sagara. Sagaras are fighters. Always remember that, son." Smiling down at his son, he added, "Besides, she was just a little too high on her self-erected pedestal to even notice what a handsome young man you're growing into."_

_"Dad!"_

_"Fumiko, what's going on here?" Keiko's amused voice came through loud and clear in the house as she stepped into the living room.__ Seeing her little boy flustered, she can't help but giggle as she hugged him from behind. _

_Upon seeing their visitor, she smiled and__ greeted the man in__ Arabic_

"Lieutenant? You okay, sir?" Snapping out of the flashback, Sousuke sees Tony standing in front of him, a concerned look on his face. "You looked like you were in a trance or something, sir."

"Negative. I'm okay, PFC. Thanks for asking." Giving Tony a reassuring smile, Sousuke adds, "Besides, I think I have a suspect in mind. Just need to ask Fatima about him first, though."

"Why her, sir?"

"She's his niece. She's also the one that helped me to learn Arabic. Of course, her Uncle was thrilled about me learning from her."

"I see. So, what happened then?"

"Two days afterward, Fatima was going to help me with my lessons when 'he' showed up and murdered my parents."

"He? He who?"

"Hangi Oshimura. My 'Godfather'. Somehow, he found out where we were. He came out with a squad of Soviet soldiers, took an AK-47 and killed both my parents."

"Dude. That's fucked up."

"Yeah."

Meanwhile, Kaname and Yu Fan are walking around the house when they come across the two graves Kaname had seen. Kneeling down, she notices the graves are marked and done in _kanji_.

_'Fumiko Sagara: Beloved Father'_

_'Keiko Sagara: Beloved Mother'_

'Oh Sousuke!' Suddenly collapsing in front of the graves, Kaname starts crying for her beloved and his late parents. Upon feeling a hand land gently on her shoulder, Kaname blinks away the tears as she can barely make out Yu Fan's face.

"This is where Sousuke's parents were buried. I need to get him so we can figure out how to best exhume them."

"Agreed. First, you must collect yourself. You won't get any results by being overly emotional."

"It's better than being unfeeling inside or at least bottling them up inside. I'm sure you have some kind of regrets."

"Like what?"

"Let's see." Getting up from the graves, Kaname says, "Let's start with you and your sister taking up a life of terrorism and troublemaking when you could have been going to a good school and later a good college. One person, along with one group, is to blame and that person is Gauron with the group being Amalgam. You probably enjoyed killing Sousuke's comrades in the tunnel, didn't you?"

"It wasn't me that killed them. It was my sister that killed some of the Mithril ground soldiers assigned to the mission. If anything, I operated the Arm Slave that cut off one of the Mithril Arm Slave's arms."

"So you're the one that 'disarmed' Kurz." Next thing Kaname knows, Yu Fan bursts out giggling. Puzzled, she then thinks about what she said until she realizes her unintentional pun. "It was the 'disarmed' bit. Isn't it?" Yu Fan is still giggling until she gets herself under control.

"Correct."

"Okay. Why didn't you ask if what you were doing was right or wrong?"

"Sensei had told us early on to never question him or his teachings. Otherwise, we'd be severely punished."

"Strange. One would think that being around him was punishment enough. That guy was nuttier than a fruitcake."

"He was the only one the Yu Lan and I could trust at the time. Surely he did something good for you in the short time you knew him."

"The only thing I got out of coming across him was meeting Sousuke beforehand. I mean, if he hadn't thought to….." Kaname's voice trails off before she groans. "Oh man."

Meanwhile, Sousuke and Tony are talking about how they met Kaname and Yu Fan. "So you first met her when this Gauron guy got it in his fucked up head to try abducting her?"

"Affirmative. Of course, we didn't know it was Gauron at the time until after the school's flight to Okinawa was hijacked."

"How close did he get to succeeding?"

"Too close for comfort. How about you? How'd you meet Yu Fan?"

"One minute, I'm coming to with a bunch of dead soldiersaround me and I'm all alone. Next thing I knew, there she was. The 'Angel of the Desert'. A beautiful sight with long hair and a beauty mark under her right eye."

"You've got it bad, soldier. Keep this in mind, though. You're very lucky she hasn't killed you up to this point. If you're sure she's changed, go ahead and keep believing that. Just keep your guard up at all times."

"She's that bad, sir? I mean, she told me she'd intended to kill me, but ultimately didn't."

"I'll refer you to my most recent statement. You're very lucky she hasn't killed you."

"True. But, dying at the hands of a beautiful young woman. Can you think of any better or more fantastic way to die, sir?"

"The Praying Mantis female always consumes it's mate after mating. Yu Fan is likely to blow you away afterward. That's just the way she was taught by Gauron."

"Okay. Subject change. How'd you and your wife fall in love?"

"It was uneasy at best, nerve-wracking at the worst. I'd spent so much time on the battlefield, I couldn't take time out to learn about proper civilian behavior. I had to learn as I went on. Sure, I hit some stumbling blocks along the way, but I made it." His face taking on a piranha-like smile, Sousuke asks, "Are you falling for Yu Fan, PFC?"

"I feel something, sir. But if it's love or not for sure, I don't really know."

"It's okay. You've got plenty of time. But, take it from me. You may not know for sure, but something inside you is prompting you. And I'm just slightly above your age, PFC. It took me a long time to discover that about myself."

"Yes sir." As the two young warriors walk along, Tony asks, "Any chance you have openings at Mithril?"

"We always have openings. I still can't believe that Yu Fan told you about Mithril's existence."

"Yeah, well, she figures she won't have much longer to live, anyway. Especially given what she has in mind when it comes to going after Amalgam. So I guess she wanted to tell somebody that there's still good in the world. Good that's facing off against the evil in the world. You know what I mean, sir?"

"Affirmative. And drop the 'sir' shit. Just call me Sousuke. We're the same age, more or less."

"You got, Sousuke. But only if you call me Tony."

"Agreed, Tony."

That night, after Sousuke brings out the MRE meal packages, a reluctant Kaname accepts one while a highly eager Tony and Yu Fan accept their packages. While Sousuke lets his food cook, he goes over the possible list of suspects. Along with mulling over the bizarre nature of their attacker.

"What are you thinking about, Sousuke?" Turning at his wife's voice, he lightly grins as he shrugs. Smiling as she takes another bite from her MRE, chews and swallows, she says, "Don't tell anyone I said this, but this is actually pretty good. Ravioli. My favorite. Do you have a favorite?"

"What I eat is what I eat. I play no favorites at all, Kaname." Giving her a grin, he then leans over and whispers, "Personally, if I did have to have a favorite, it'd be 'Kaname Buffet' every night."

Her face beet red and smiling happily, Kaname sultrily whispers, "I personally like 'Sousuke Shakes' every morning when we wake up. After all, it's the best part of waking up." Sighing happily as her husband drapes his arm around her, she catches sight of Yu Fan staring at her. A stare not of malice, but pure curiosity.

Catching Yu Fan's stare, Tony gently nudges her, asking, "You okay, Yu?"

"Yes. I'm just curious about how close they really are."

"Didn't you ever have a boyfriend?"

"No. I was too busy killing people to even consider it." The comment was so perfectly deadpan, Tony couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah. Something like that would be a real mood-killer. If not a relationship killer." Much to Tony's surprise and delight, Yu Fan giggles again.

"There was one that wanted me, but he was too old and crazy for me to even consider it."

"One would have to be crazy to not want you in their life." Incredulous, Yu Fan turns toward Tony, only to find his lips start pressing against hers.

In his mind, Tony thinks, 'Oh shit! She's going to kill me for sure! Oh well. So be it! It'd be better to die at a pretty girl's hand than a damn raghead's hand!' Next thing he knows, Yu Fan deepens the kiss and moans sultrily into his mouth.

As the two share their accidental kiss, Sousuke and Kaname silently get up and go into the house, intent on leaving the two alone. Looking over at Sousuke, Kaname can't help but quietly giggle over what had just happened.

"Do you think they'll make it, Sousuke?"

"Can't really say for sure, Kaname. Either way, come tomorrow, things are going to be significantly different." Next thing Sousuke knows, Kaname is tugging him back toward her and locking her lips onto his.

"Ready for your 'buffet', Mr Sagara?"

"Affirmative. Looking forward to your 'shake' in the morning, Mrs Sagara?"

"Hmm, oh yes."

Back outside, Yu Fan and Tony are ending their first kiss and shyly smiling at each other. "How far do you want to go, Yu?"

"It depends on how far you're willing to go." Seeing him blink in bemusement, she adds, "I haven't had sex in a little over a year. It's time for me to play catch up." Reaching down to his groin, she softly massages it until she feels him harden. "It seems your little friend agrees with me."

"But, I've never had sex before."

Smiling, she purrs out, "Hmm, first timer. Perfect." Undoing her AS suit, Yu Fan nods as she says, "Strip, soldier. I want to see what I'm in for." Watching his hands shake as he undresses, she adds, "Just think of it this way. At least you'll finally be handling my ass."

"True." When they're both nude, they look upon each other before embracing. "Just be gentle. Please."

"Okay." Getting down onto the desert floor, Yu brings Tony down on top of her, gently grasps his member and puts it inside her opening. Upon feeling him begin to pump, she closes her eyes in bliss.

Meanwhile, in Earth's atmosphere, two comet-like objects are rapidly falling toward Afghanistan. Both emitting a blue flash, they catch Tony's attention as he closes his eyes in rapture.

"What was that?" Feeling her gently clench around him, he asks, "Yu?"

"That was an orgasm." Panting, Yu opens her eyes and smirks seductively. "Keep pumping, soldier."

"Yes, ma'am." As Tony pumps, he feels his pressure building and makes to pull out, not wanting to chance a pregnancy so soon after meeting her. But Yu wraps her legs around him before he can exit. "Um, Yu, I'm about to…"

"I know. I want to feel it. I've never even felt it before and always wondered what it's like." Nodding, he keeps pumping.

"I hope you're on BC, then." Before she can tell him she isn't, she feels his first spurt flood into her womb and screams in ecstasy.

Inside the house, Sousuke and Kaname see the blue flashes as they make love, but simply ignore them. Choosing to chalk them down as a prelude to pre-orgasm. When they hear Yu Fan scream, they both lightly chuckle and kiss. Just as Sousuke's orgasm strikes, sending his seed right into Kaname's welcoming womb.

As she feels her orgasm ebb away, Kaname finds herself exhausted and wraps her limbs around Sousuke. "Good night, honey." With that, she falls asleep, a content smile on her face.

"Good night, my Angel." Nestling his head in between her breasts and neck, he smiles as he closes his eyes. With his member still inside her.

The next morning, Yu Fan opens her eyes upon feeling a hand groping her breast. Looking to break the person's neck, she stops in time to see a still-asleep Tony softly gripping her breast. To say she's getting aroused would be an understatement.

Before she can act on it, however, she hears hoof-beats against the Afghani desert floor approaching their position. Quickly waking Tony, she watches him get dressed as she gets back into her AS suit. Looking into the house, she sends a wake-up call.

"We've got visitors!"

Inside the house, Sousuke and Kaname both jolt awake and hurriedly dress into their AS suits. Once dressed, they check their Desert Eagles and Glocks. Ensured the handguns are loaded, they exit the house in time to see Tony bring his M4 up to bear on the incoming party. All on horseback.

"Tony, don't fire until fired upon!"

"You got it, Sousuke!" As the horses slow, the lead man brings up his hand in a peaceful gesture and smiles at Tony. Lowering his rifle, Tony says, "Hassan, you nearly got blown away, dude."

"My apologies, Tony. Allah will be pleased you live still. My friends and I came across your convoy yesterday. But you were long gone. I cannot say I blamed you. The vehicles were all fucked up. As were the other soldiers." Suddenly seeing Sousuke, he grins and adds, "Kashim, it's been a while."

"Kashim? I thought your name was Sousuke."

"It is my name, Tony. Kashim was the name I fought under when I was with the Afghani rebels. Hassan was one of the ones that knew my parents before they died. If my memory serves correctly, he went on to become part of the Northern Alliance."

"You're sharp as ever, Kashim. Oh, and who are the lovely desert flowers?" Both Kaname and Yu Fan can't help but blush at the flattery.

"My wife, Kaname and Tony's new girlfriend, Xia Yu Fan." Both ladies' faces go beet red as Hassan and his entourage burst out chuckling.

"You've both got fascinating taste, Kashim and Tony. I can't help but wonder what Fatima will say."

"She's still alive?"

"Oh yeah. She and Aziz both. Aziz has a son now. Tariq." Giving Sousuke a grin, he adds, "Fatima had such a crush on you, Kashim."

"Well, I'm sorry it worked out that way." Before Kaname can go any further, Arbalest's communications console sounds off. "Better go see what's going on, Sousuke."

"Right." As Sousuke heads over to Arbalest, Kaname looks over at Hassan and sees him scowling.

"What?"

"Women should be seen, not heard."

"Maybe in your society, Hassan. Not in mine. So, what brings you out here to this cozy little resort?"

"I could ask you the same, pampered girl."

"We're here to retrieve the bodies of Sousuke's parents."

"Ah, Fumiko and Keiko. It was a sad day when Fatima and I came here and saw the graves. They were good people. It wasn't until a year later I encountered Kashim in a firefight with the Soviet invaders. He was one of the best marksmen we had."

"You knew them? Maybe you can tell me if you know of anyone that would want to betray them."

"Betray? They were betrayed?"

"That's what Sousuke thinks and quite frankly, I agree. There's no way in Hell that his 'Godfather' could have known where they were."

"What does his Godfather have to do with it, wife of Kashim?" Ignoring his earlier comment, Hassan is finding himself curious about what Kaname has to say. Along with the others.

"His 'Godfather' killed them in cold blood, Hassan. All because they wouldn't let him experiment on Sousuke."

"That is unacceptable, Mrs Sagara." Kaname turns around and sees Yu Fan wearing a furious expression. "Should you discover who the person is, I would like the assignment to kill the subject."

"Let's leave it up to Sousuke. He may want to kill the person as well. But, how about a compromise? If there's anything left, you get the remainder."

"Like you said, let's leave it up to Sousuke." Quirking her head, she then asks, "Do you have a description of Sousuke's Godfather, Kaname?"

"Even better. I have a picture of the dead bastard."

Inside Arbalest, Sousuke is in communication with Kalinin. _"Intelligence has gone over image Arbalest had transmitted to them. It matches unknown hostile that went after survivors of base attack in Qatar."_

"In Iraq? But, that's clear west of here, sir. With Iran between here and Iraq. That's a long way. Even if traveling underground. Even more, Iranians would have noticed a form burrowing under the sand."

_"Indeed. It's quite fortunate they have other worries of their own to deal with."_ Allowing his youngest subordinate to have a momentary snicker of amusement, he goes on._ "It in turn was attacked by two A-10 Thunderbolts and one AC-130 Spectre gunship. Attack had occurred three months ago. I'm sending data to you now."_

"Roger that, Perth-1. I'll keep you posted."

_"Perth-1 copies, Urzu-1. Incidentally, Mithril High Command wishes to debrief Miss Xia. Transport helicopters will arrive at coordinates I'm transmitting and will wait for five and half hours. PFC Reynolds is to be at his base and Miss Xia is to be in your custody. Perth-1 out."_

"Urzu-1, roger and out." When communication's ended, Sousuke asks, "AL, did you get the data?"

**"Yes, Lieutenant."**

"Send a copy of it to Kaname's M9, AL."

**"Roger."** As Arbalest's computer transmits out the data, Sousuke runs his hand along his face and shakes his head.

'This has been one hell of a leg on the honeymoon trip.' When the computer stops, he asks, "Is everything completed, AL?"

**"Yes, Lieutenant."**

"Thanks, AL. Be ready to move out in two hours. Maybe less."

**"Roger."**

As Sousuke exits Arbalest, he catches sight of a scowling Yu Fan being held by Tony while Kaname is kneeling at the graves of his parents. 'Okay. What's going on here?' Making his way over to Hassan, he asks, "What's going on here, Hassan?"

"I think I know who'd betrayed your parents, Kashim." Sighing, he adds, "It was Aziz."

"How do you know for sure, Hassan?"

"Kaname had shown me a picture of your Godfather. He'd come to see Aziz with a large briefcase two days before your parents died. It was after he'd returned from your domicile that Mr Oshimura had come to the house."

"Any idea as to what was inside the case, Hassan?"

"No clue at all. It could have been negotiable bearer bonds or regular paperwork. He said he was there to speak with Aziz. About what, he didn't say."

"I think it's time I went to speak with Aziz, then." Before Sousuke can turn around, Hassan stops him.

"What are you going to do, Kashim?"

"I'm going to get some answers." Starting to walk away, he adds, "The others will be briefed about what happened later on."

"Okay. But take someone with you as a witness."

"Understood. Anything I should know ahead of time?"

"Yeah. Aziz has pretty much become one of those fruity types, saying 'mellow greetings' or 'be well'. A real nut."

"Okay. Kaname, let's go." Giving a nod, Kaname gets up, only to be stopped by Yu Fan.

"What gives, Yu Fan?"

"I'll go with Sousuke, Kaname. You and Tony work on exhuming the bodies. Hopefully I'll stay calm with him nearby."

"Okay, but I think you'll have a much harder time keeping him calm."

"I'll keep that in mind. Sousuke, could you give me lift on Arbalest?"

"That won't be necessary." Dismounting his horse, Hassan has one of his men dismount as well and smiles. "Abu and I will help your wife and Tony exhume your parents' bodies, Kashim. The rest of my men will go with you and Yu Fan. Aziz has a massive house two miles from my home."

"Thank you, Hassan. Thank you, Abu." As Abu nods, Yu Fan quickly mounts his horse, with Sousuke mounting Hassan's horse. "Let's go." As the group rides away, Tony can't help but grin before chuckling.

"You know what would be cool? If Sousuke, Yu Fan and the others had flaming skulls like 'Ghost Rider'. That would really rock."

"Hmm, human spirits of vengeance. I like the sound of that." Stretching her arms out, Kaname adds, "Let's get to digging."

Thirty minutes later, the group arrives at a massive structure. One of the men, Mohammed, indicates this is the house they want. Looking at the house, Sousuke can see the construction is sound, yet flawed at the same time. Flawed as in possibly built with blood money. The mere thought of it is enough to rile Sousuke's ire to the point where Yu Fan can pick it up.

"Enhance your calm, Sousuke Sagara." When Sousuke turns to look at Yu Fan, she smirks and adds, "I watched 'Demolition Man' with Yu Lan and Sensei once. It was funny at times."

"Ah." Shrugging as they dismount, he then says, "Let's talk to this rat." Before they get to the door, it opens, revealing a woman in a red burqa.

Mohammed stops them and quickly chatters to her in Arabic. When she's gone from the door, he translates for Yu Fan's benefit. "I had her go to get Aziz or Fatima."

"I see. Sousuke is fluent as well."

"Yes, he should be. He was taught by 'Tiger', after all." Before he can go any further, a tall gaunt man in a golden yellow robe comes to the door and smiles.

In Arabic, he says, _"Mellow greetings, friends. How can I help you?"_

Replying in Arabic, Sousuke says, _"Aziz Habeer, I'm Sousuke Sagara. I've got some questions for you."_

_"Sagara? Fumiko and Keiko's son? Allah be praised! You've grown well!"_ Stepping back as Sousuke approaches him, he asks, _"What are you doing?"_

Switching to English, he retorts, "I'm asking the questions, not you. Understood?" Deciding to continue in English, he asks, "Did you tell Hangi Oshimura where we were?"

Aziz snorts in contempt and says, _"English. Bah. Useless language used by pathetic fools."_ Seeing Sousuke smiling unnerves Aziz somewhat as he asks, _"What are you going to do, Mr Sagara?"_

Stepping forward and grabbing a black wooden chair in front of a black piano, Sousuke replies, in Arabic, _"I'm going to teach you English and to have greater appreciation for it."_

_"I don't know about that. I'm too old."_

Giving Aziz the same unnerving smile still, Sousuke replies,_ "It's not a problem. Something tells me you're going to be a real quick study."_ Putting the chair down on the floor, he switches over to English and says, "Have a seat."

Before Aziz can sit down, Sousuke sweeps the seat from under Aziz' ass, sending him tumbling down onto the floor. Before Aziz can get up to protest, Sousuke slams the lower bar on the chair onto Aziz' neck and sits down. Hard. Causing Aziz to choke slightly. A muffled giggle from his side causes Sousuke to grin. Turning toward the source of the giggle, he sees Yu Fan wearing a smile of amusement.

"I take it you liked that, Yu Fan?"

"I did." In her mind, she thinks, 'I've always wanted to do that.'

In his mind, Sousuke thinks, 'All my life, I've waited to do this.' Tilting forward, and hearing Aziz choke even more, he begins in English. "Did you sell out my parents, Aziz?" Leaning back, he waits for Aziz to reply. The only reply he gets is a profanity in Arabic that's choked out. "I'm sorry, that's not the right answer." Tilting forward and hearing Aziz choking again, he says, "Try again, you scum-sucking mother fucker."

Behind him and Yu Fan, Mohammed, using English, asks, "What are you doing to him, Kashim?"

Still smiling, Yu Fan turns around and replies, "English. 101. It seems Sousuke is an excellent instructor in the subject matter. His training methods are also quite fascinating, it seems."

"Ah. I think I'll make some popcorn for us to enjoy while we learn your teaching techniques, Kashim."

"Understood." Blinking, Sousuke asks, "You guys have got popcorn now?"

"Courtesy of 'Uncle Sam' and his forces. If you guys want, we can fix you up some too." The reply is enough to get a smile from the young mercenary.

"That'll be great. Thank you, Mohammed."

Having enough, even though she's still smiling, Yu Fan gets in on it. "Did you compromise the location of Lieutenant Sagara's family?" Aziz blinks incredulously at the lithe young woman that dared to speak in his presence.

In a fit of rage, he asks, in English, "What concern is it of yours, infidel whore?" His voice is choked out again when Sousuke tilts forward.

"I suggest you watch what you say to her, Aziz. She's a stone-cold killer. And I'm not much better."

Not realizing he's speaking in English, he goes on. His voice still choked from Sousuke's weight on the chair. "Oh please. You're dressed like tough people, but everyone knows that non-believers are very weak. So, since I'm feeling generous today, I'll tell you. Yes, I told Mr Oshimura where he could find you. He said he wanted to appeal to Fumiko's monetary side. But found him and his foolish wife to be very foolish indeed." Grinning, he then adds, "The money he paid me was well worth it."

"Was me losing my childhood worth it? Was me losing my innocence worth it?"

"What innocence, dear boy? You're a non-believer. Non-believers are not innocent. Your family's dead and your past is dead." His voice filled with scorn, he chokingly adds, "Be well."

Drawing his Glock and aiming at Aziz while seated, Sousuke retorts, "Be fucked."

"How dare you? Drawing a gun and swearing? Mohammed, get this infidel out of my sight this instant!" Not seeing Mohammed move to obey him, he chokes out, "You incompetent!"

"I'm not incompetent. I'm rebelling. If your brother, Hassan, was here right now, he'd back me to the hilt. He'd suspected you were responsible for their deaths. He liked them, as did I. They were good people, Aziz. They, at least, were not bigoted like you are now. I'm sure they're in Paradise right now and smiling brightly down upon Kashim right now."

"Sousuke, get up please." At Yu Fan's voice, Sousuke turns around.

"Why, Yu Fan?"

"One of the things Sensei told us to do if we came across anyone with similar circumstances to ours was to avenge the wrong done to them. Wrong was done to you and your family. I aim to avenge that."

"I see." Smirking down at Aziz, he ruffles the man's hair and says, "Congratulations. You're speaking like a native already. I just hope you'll be able to use your new skill as I will now leave you in the capable hands of Miss Xia." Getting up from the chair, Sousuke adds, "Mohammed, go ahead and extract your men out of here."

"What about you, Kashim?"

"I'll be right behind you. I'm just going to wait until Yu Fan's finished."

"No need to wait for me, Sousuke. I'll just tidy up in here a bit."

"Understood. Have fun, Yu Fan."

"Oh, I will." As Sousuke walks out, her eyes narrow toward Aziz as she walks toward him and coldly says, "I most certainly will have fun." As she nears him, Aziz can only gulp and urinate in his robe.

Back at the Sagara hut, Kaname, Tony, Hassan and Abu are working to get the graves opened. Progress, however, is somewhat sluggish given the lack of tools. So, Kaname gets an idea and goes with it. Before she can get to the M9, Hassan sees her and finds himself curious.

"Mrs Kashim, what are you doing?"

Turning to look at Hassan, Kaname replies, "Two things. One, I'm not Mrs Kashim. I'm Mrs Sousuke Sagara. Two, I'm going to use the M9's right pinky as a shovel. It'll cut the time significantly."

"I cannot allow that."

"Excuse me? What did you just say, Hassan _baka_?"

"A delicate flower as yourself should not be taking such tasks by yourself."

"Delicate? Delicate?" Letting out a barking laugh, Kaname goes on. "I gave birth to a five and a half pound baby boy several months ago, Hassan. If I can handle that and his Father's graceful antics, I can certainly handle an AS. I'm not exactly what you'd call delicate. At one time, you might've have been correct on that assessment. When I was a little girl. Now, it's another story. I'm stronger now, thanks to Sousuke."

"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"He's my hero. He saved my life a few times and I saved his a few times. In a way, I'm his heroine. Day after day, no matter what, we're always there for each other. He once told me that if I wasn't there with him, he'd be dead already. If Sousuke hadn't been assigned to protect or hadn't impulsively come to rescue me, I'd most likely be dead already."

Powering up the M9 and keeping the hatch open, she has it get up and pilots it over to the graves, yelling, "Get clear!" Placing the right pinky onto the ground, she has the massive finger curl like a backhoe. 'I just hope I don't damage the bodies!' Seeing Tony on the HUD's screen, she says, "Spot me, Tony. Let me know when to keep going or stop. Abu, you're his eyes. Let him know."

"You got it, Mrs Sagara."

"Agreed, Mrs Sagara."

A minute later, Kaname hears, "Halt! We've got one cadaver unearthed!"

"Roger, Tony! Moving to the next one over!" Once Kaname's moved the M9's right pinky to the other grave, Hassan and Tony gingerly lift the form out of the grave it's rested in for so many years. Abu then brings over the marker and gently places it onto the form, uttering a quick Muslim prayer.

"Okay, we've got Keiko squared away. Now for Fumiko."

"Agreed, Tony. But, I am curious though."

"Yeah? What's that, Hassan?"

"Why'd Sousuke bring his wife here and where did he get those magnificent machines?"

"I'd say more like she chose to accompany him for this duty. After all, it's the duty of the young ones to bury their elders in their homeland."

"I see. What about the machines? I've never seen anything like those two before."

"I can't really say for sure. I'm not familiar with them. They're kick-ass cool, though."

"On that, I can safely agree with you." As the M9 starts digging again, Hassan says, "Back to work, my friend."

"Yeah."

Back at Aziz' house, Yu Fan is standing over Aziz' dead body. "That is why you should never betray an innocent's location to strangers for money."

_"Papa?" _Yu Fan turns around and sees a ten-year old boy standing in the doorway, a young woman behind him.

"Sousuke, I need you in here!" Once Sousuke's joined her, she says, "He came in as I was finishing with Aziz and my Arabic is non-existent." Taking one look at the man's face, Sousuke is glad he'd stepped outside. Beaten to a pulp would have been merciful. What had happened was not merciful.

"I don't even want to know how he died." Looking over toward them, he switches to Arabic. _"Tariq? Fatima?"_ Stunned at Sousuke's knowledge of Arabic, the woman nods.

_"Yes, I'm Fatima and this is my cousin, Tariq. Do I know you from somewhere?"_

_"Yes, though it's been a while. You were __about to start __helping me with my Arabic when my parents died."_

_"Sousuke?"_ Tears of joy start falling out of Fatima's eyes as Sousuke nods. _"Praise Allah you're alive still. That man had told us you'd be dead long before now."_

Bringing out Oshimura's picture, Sousuke asks, _"This the guy?"_ Fatima looks at the picture and nods.

_"Yes. A little older and dead-looking, but yes."_ In curiosity, she asks, _"Why does he look dead, Sousuke?"_

_"Because he is dead, Fatima. Like Aziz here is."_

_"Papa!"_ Bringing out a curved knife, Tariq walks over to beside Aziz' corpse, looks down and looks back up. Snarling out as he walks toward them, _"I'll kill you both!"_ Yu Fan sees it and understands.

Getting down onto her knees as he reaches her, Yu Fan says, "Sousuke, translate for me please."

"Roger." With Sousuke translating, she begins.

"Good. Kill me. Maybe you won't turn out to be the kind of person Sousuke or myself turned out to be. Maybe you won't turn out to be a money-grubbing vermin like your Father was or Mr Oshimura for that matter." Putting the blade against her uncovered neck and looking right into his eyes, she says, "Do it." Tariq can't help but look into her blood-red eyes and start shaking. "Do it."

Breaking down into tears, Tariq drops the knife and collapses onto his knees. As he sobs, he tilts into Yu Fan's chest and she wraps her arms around him. Easing back from him after two minutes, she looks into his young face.

"You're a good boy, Tariq. Grow up to be a good man." Getting up from her knees, she sees he's looking up at her and coolly adds, "If not, Sousuke, Mithril or I will be waiting." Sousuke's translation has both Fatima and Tariq stunned as the two young adults leave the house.

Snapping out of it, Tariq looks up at Fatima and asks, _"Are you well, cousin?"_

_"I'm well. I'm just stunned at how much Sousuke's grown. If he's with __th__a__t__ woman, I hope he's happy as well.__ She's scary.__"_ Looking down at her younger cousin before looking at her Uncle's form, she asks, _"How about you, Tariq?"_

_"I'll be well. As long as I do what the Dragon Lady says. I wouldn't want her, Sousuke or this Mithril bunch to come after me."_

_"Good."_ Giving her cousin a kiss on the top of his head, she says, _"We must arrange for Uncle's burial."_

_"How should we tell his friends how he died?"_

_"__Let's j__ust tell them he died for being stupid and supporting the terrorists."_

Once outside, Yu Fan collapses onto Sousuke, breathing heavily. "What am I feeling, Sousuke?"

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. When I was holding that boy, I felt something strange in me. Like I was meant to feel it, but never felt it before."

"I'd say it's your maternal instincts starting up with you. Kaname is pretty much the same with our son and myself."

"You? But, you're an adult now."

"By appearances, sure. But I've still got a way to go yet still. But I'm getting there. I think." Yu Fan's giggling has him smiling. "Welcome back to the human race, Yu Fan."

"Thank you. But, there's one more thing before it becomes official." Taking a deep breath, she goes on. "I wish to surrender to Mithril in order to answer for my past acts. I make no excuses for what Yu Lan and I've done, but there were extenuating circumstances."

"What crimes had you two committed?"

"The recent murder of Mei Ching in Hong Kong was my responsibility. The Nanking Tunnel incident, along with various assassinations, we both committed under Sensei and Gates' orders." Sighing, she adds, "I wish to pay for our crimes and seek redemption."

"Understood. From here on out, you're in my custody. I only have one rule. Never give up. You give up, you die. Understood?"

"Yes, it is."

The next thirty minutes are spent in silence as Sousuke, Yu Fan and the others ride back toward the Sagara hut. Upon arrival, they see Kaname, Tony, Hassan and Abu standing over the cloth-wrapped bodies of Sousuke's parents. Standing in watch over them, like guards of old. Upon hearing the hoof-beats, Kaname turns around and smiles.

"You made it, Sousuke. Did you get your answers?"

"Affirmative." Looking over at Yu Fan, he adds, "You've got thirty minutes, Yu Fan. Use them well."

"Understood." Getting down from the horse, she walks over to Tony and flatly says, "Come with me, please, Tony."

"Sure." Getting the feeling he knows what's going on, he embraces her and takes her into the house. Once they're inside the living room, he asks, "How long, Yu Fan?"

"Less than thirty minutes now, Tony. I'm to make the most of it as I most likely will not get many opportunities for copulation where I'm going. I doubt I'll even live afterward."

"I understand."

Without hesitation, he softly kisses her, caressing her AS suit-covered breasts. Helping her remove the suit, he quickly undresses. Once he's fully nude, he kisses her passionately before entering her. As he begins pumping her, she kisses him softly, only to arch her back in ecstasy upon feeling her walls clamp down around him.

As she tenses, he softly takes her left nipple into his mouth and softly suckles after licking it. That alone is enough to cause her to scream in rapture. Just before he bursts into her womb. Groggily fighting to keep her eyes open, Yu Fan softly kisses him before falling asleep.

As she fades into slumber, she hears, "I love you, Xia Yu Fan."

Thirty-five minutes later, a fully-dressed Tony is carrying a fully-dressed Yu Fan in his arms. With the young woman sound asleep. Hassan and Abu can only gape in shock as Tony walks over to Sousuke and Kaname, wearing a sad expression.

"Are you sure, Sousuke?"

"Affirmative. However, I do believe there were extenuating circumstances. If you like, I can speak on her behalf. After all, she did save your life when she could have either easily killed you or left you for that mechanical monstrosity to do it."

"Sousuke's got a good point, Tony. I don't think she knew she'd rediscover her humanity in such devastated beauty like this."

"Thank you, Sousuke, Kaname. If it's all right with you, I'd like to hold onto Yu Fan until you get me to my base."

"It's not a problem."

Sousuke and Kaname both sweatdrop upon realizing they just spoke in sync. Tony, Abu and Hassan all lightly chuckle while Sousuke and Kaname get into the Arm Slaves. Once they have the hands upturned, Hassan and Abu gently place the bodies of Sousuke's parents into the hands of Arbalest while Mohammed and another man help Tony, still holding Yu Fan into the M9's right hand. They then put a wrapped David into the M9's left hand.

Activating her speaker, Kaname says, "Thanks for wrapping the soldier, Hassan."

**"Don't mention it, Mrs Sagara. May Allah ****see you safely home and ****bless you and your household with many little Kashims and ****lovely Kanames****."**

Blushing brightly and glad Hassan can't see it, Kaname replies, "May the Winds see you guys and the Coalition to victory against the Taliban and Al-Qaida." Next thing Kaname knows, Hassan and the others fire their AK-47s into the air. Switching to another channel, she asks, "Sousuke, what's with them? They're firing their weapons into the air."

**"It's a form of celebration in the Islamic world, Kaname."**

"Ah. I see. Shall we join them in celebration, Sousuke?"

**"I don't see why not, Kaname."** With that, both Arm Slaves tilt their heads upward and fire their chain guns. Prompting the men on the ground to cheer and laugh as well as they keep firing.

"What're they laughing about?"

**"Well, if you think about it, Kaname, if you were on the ground and you saw what they did, what would you do? Laugh and cheer or cringe in fear?"**

"It seems I've a lot to learn, Sousuke. Just like you do."

**"Affirmative. Let's**** go, Kaname. We've less than four**** hour****s**** to get to the base to drop off Tony and to meet the chopper at the rendezvous point."**

"Right behind you, Sousuke."

With that, both Arm Slaves run off, causing the Earth to shake with every step.All while the men of the Northern Alliance fire their AK-47s into the air, maintaining their festive mood.

Two hours and forty minutes later, on the outskirts of the base, Yu Fan awakens in the arms of a young soldier. A young soldier she'd fallen in love with. Seeing him looking down on the ground, she joins him in looking downward.

"What are you looking for or at, Tony?"

"See those two craters?" Upon her looking down as well and nodding, he goes on. "They look like meteor impact points, but something seems off-kilter about them."

"How so?"

"Typically, they're much larger, deeper and spaced far apart from each other. These two are small, slightly shallow and long. Along with close enough to be neighbors. That indicates a controlled descent. If not mildly wild."

"How can you tell?"

"Where I came from, meteors rain down at least once a year. Luckily, they mostly land in the Arizona desert. So far, no human fatalities resulted from the impacts." Looking ahead, he can easily see the base up ahead. "Looks like my stop's coming up, Yu."

Giving him a sad smile, she gently caresses his face. "I guess this is good-bye, Tony." Giving him a soft peck on his lips, she quietly says, "I hope you find happiness. Even if it's not with me." Upon feeling the M9 stop and kneel down, she looks and sees a group of soldiers coming toward the Arm Slave. Upon arrival, one of the soldiers smiles upon seeing Tony alive and well.

"PFC Reynolds, the Great Spirit will be pleased you're alright."

"Thanks, Corporal Ironhorse. Any chance you can ask the Great Spirit to watch over Yu Fan here?"

"But of course. After all, the Great Spirit watches over all that it's asked to."

Giving him one more hug, Yu Fan begins shaking.

"Yu, what's wrong?"

"I'm scared, Tony. Scared of what's to come." Feeling his fingers running through her long hair, she softly sighs as he kisses her left temple.

"Don't worry. You're in good company, Yu Fan. Just keep focused on what's to come and your objective." Slowly releasing his embrace, he gives her one more kiss on her lips and says, "See you in my dreams, 'Angel of the Desert'."

Giving him a soft smile, she replies, "You too, 'Desert Stallion'." Reluctantly letting Tony go from her grasp, Yu Fan whispers, "I love you too, Tony." As she watches Tony help the soldiers hoist David's body out of the M9's hand, she looks up at the headpiece and asks, "Does it hurt? Any time Sousuke goes off into battle for Mithril? With you not knowing if he'll come home alive or not?"

**"A little. But at least I know he can take care of himself and his friends in battle. Along with his friends to watch over him. They share more than your common battle bond. They're family."**

"I see. Thank you. Shall we go? It seems I have an appointment with Mithril's Command structure."

Soft laughter from the M9's speaker has Yu Fan smiling sadly as the AS lifts off of it's knees and both mechas start running again. Intent on reaching their rendezvous with the transport choppers. As she watches behind the AS, Yu Fan could see a large green airplane/helicopter hybrid approach the base and land. For an instant, she could swear she saw a red face comprised mainly of squares on it's belly but puts it out of her mind.

'I wonder what's going on there?' Little does she realize that Tony's thinking the exact same thing.

One hour and thirty minutes later, both Arm Slaves reach the rendezvous point for the transport helicopters. Along with Mao and Weber.

"Kaname, put the young woman down on the ground and I'll secure her! Weber'll take care of Sousuke's parents!" Upon seeing the M9 stick it's left thumb up in agreement, Kaname gently lays the hand down and Yu Fan hops down onto the ground. "Xia Yu Fan?"

"I am she."

"By order of Lord Mallory, of Mithril's Committee, I'm taking you into official Mithril custody. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Next thing she knows, she sees Mao step closer to her.

"I fought against your sister. She was a handful and an excellent CQB fighter. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Were you able to recover her corpse in Hong Kong?"

"No. Once the Lambda Driver on that Venom went, her body was pretty much incinerated." Yu Fan can't help but let a tear escape while Mao escorts her into a makeshift security zone in the helicopter. Once she's secured, Mao adds, "We've got a while before we lift off. Use the time to grieve her." The only reply Mao gets is Yu Fan sobbing as she walks away.

When she gets to the edge of the helicopter, she can see Kurz gingerly lifting one covered form from Arbalest's hand and carrying it into the other helicopter while Kaname positions the M9 for link-up with the helo that Mao's currently on.

Meanwhile, at the base, Tony is standing inside the Commanding Officer's office, quietly listening to the man yell at him and threatening Court Martial proceedings for fratricide and being AWOL. A knock on the door is heard and the CO, without looking up, barks his command.

"Come in!"

"Is that any way to speak to the Secretary of Defense, General Thomas?" The man is stunned into stupidity as he watches three men enter. One man in a blue suit, one in US Army Class As and one man in Air Force blues.

"Mr Secretary, what brings you here?"

"Stow it, Yancy. Can't you see this young trooper's had a rough day as it is?" The man looks over at Tony, smiles and extends his hand. "I'm Secretary of Defense John Keller. With me is Army Captain William Lennox and Air Force Tech Sergeant Jerome Epps."

"Mr Secretary, what is this about? I've got charges pending on this Private here. For fratricide, being AWOL and I'm about to add giving me a bullshit story about a mechanical scorpion wiping his patrol group out. Along with it being wiped out itself." Waving his left hand over another folder, he goes on.

"Even more, one of our sentries on night duty claims she saw two vehicles resembling ours roll away from the perimeter last night. Even though they weren't even here to begin with. The sentry even said that she saw no one operating either machine. As such, I'm beginning Section 8 discharge proceedings against her. So, as you can see, I've got a full plate here, Mr Secretary."

"I see, General." Turning back toward Tony, he snaps his fingers and Epps produces a photograph from a briefcase. "Is this the scorpion you saw, son?" Upon seeing Tony's eyes bug out, he asks again. "Is it?"

"The one I saw was kinda trashed, but, yes, it's the same one, sir."

"Thank you, son." He then turns to the General and says, "The story was not bullshit, General. And your sentry is not crazy. If you'll leave us alone for a moment, PFC, Captain Lennox and Tech Sergeant Epps have a few things to say to you before they speak with the General."

A stunned Tony can only nod as he salutes, turns and weakly walks out of the door, with Lennox and Epps behind him. Once Epps has closed the door, they can hear the SECDEF yelling at the General.

"So, you faced off against Scorponok and survived him."

"Scorponok, Captain?"

"Yes. For that, I'd like to shake your hand." As Tony numbly gives his hand over, Lennox, while giving a hearty handshake, asks, "Did you bring him down as well?"

"No sir. Someone else did that."

"I see. It must have been an impressive weapon to do that kind of damage. Epps, what kind of caliber shell was it?"

"It was a 57mm. Along with .50 caliber. For that matter, that 5-7 round must have been seriously pumped up to do that kind of damage."

Chuckling nervously, Tony replies, "Yeah, I guess so, sir. But, how do you know what it's name was? Or even where it was."

"One of our Predators happened to be in the area on a routine sweep when it came across this sight." At Lennox' cue, Epps brings out another picture and hands it to Tony. "Here you can see Scorponok getting his ass kicked by that one Arm Slave while another one was clearly helping a disabled Arm Slave's pilot escape danger. As for how we know, a group of friends had fought against him and his buddies for years."

Giving Tony a wry chuckle, he adds, "If I could meet the pilot of that Arm Slave, I'd shake their hand and consider writing him or her up for a commendation. Whether he or she likes it or not. All of the pilots in fact. Even you."

"Me? Sir, respectfully, I'm just a PFC that got extremely lucky to survive when my buddies weren't so fucking lucky. If anyone should be written up, it's them. They fought back against Scorponok and lost, sure. But I only survived because I was knocked the fuck out!" Feeling his tears burst out from his eyes, Tony begins breaking down, only to feel two sets of arms around him.

"No matter how, you still survived. It doesn't matter if you managed to fight back or not." With Tony looking up toward Epps, the African-American man nods as he goes on. "We lost a lot of good men in Qatar to that one helo and we lost two to Scorponok before we were extracted."

"Helo?"

"That's right, son." All three turn back toward Keller as he goes on. "What I'm about to tell you is a National secret. You cannot divulge what you're about to hear to anyone. Not your folks, girlfriend or even wife. Understood?"

"Yes sir. Although… nah, never mind. It's probably out of your reach anyway."

"Why don't I be the judge of that, young man?" Seeing him looking around nervously, he says, "Okay. I'll tell you a little, you tell me a little without much detail and I'll see what I can do for you. Okay?"

"Yes sir." With that, Keller and Tony find a quiet room to begin talking with each other about Autobots, Decepticons, Mithril and Yu Fan's troubles.

On Merida Island, Yu Fan is being escorted into a holding cell. The flight had taken three hours, with only one in-flight refuel for the helos. The one escorting her is none other than Mao. During the flight, they had a semi-pleasant conversation about their lives. Both personal and otherwise. When they get to the cell, Mao gently nudges her into the cell, closes the door and has her turn around.

As Mao removes the wrist restraints, Yu Fan asks, "What's to become of me, Sergeant Major?"

"It depends on the tribunal's panel and how lucky you get to be, Yu Fan. Way I see it, one of two things can happen. One, we execute you for your crimes along with those of your sister. Two, you get to start over under a new name."

"How do you feel personally? Given my sister and I caused so much trouble."

"Personally, I wouldn't have bothered with the tribunal. I'd have just shot you in the head."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Two reasons. Sousuke is my Superior Officer in the field and a fairly good judge of character. Two, he saw you and that young soldier together. He feels you deserve a chance for a new start. With no middlemen to fuck up the works. Middlemen like Gauron and Gates, for example."

"Sensei was that bad?"

"He was."

"I see. No wonder I'm, as you seem to be fond of saying, 'all fucked up'." Mao can't help but burst into laughter, with Yu Fan laughing as well. The laughter soon gets to the point where Yu Fan has to start gasping for air. Getting herself under control, she says, "Oh that was great! Slightly better than sex."

"Yeah, I suppose it was. You gonna be okay here for the night?"

"Yes. What time is it to start?"

"0900 tomorrow. Who knows how long it'll take?" Walking away, she adds, "Good night, Yu Fan."

"Good night, Sergeant Major Mao." Alone in the cell, she quietly whispers, "Good night, Tony. I love you. Please be safe." To say that sleep will not come easily to her that night will be like saying combat is hard on everyone it touches.

In the hangar area, Sousuke and Kaname are watching the caskets, both bearing Mithril's flag, carrying his parents' bodies being loaded into a plane bound for Japan. It had been decided that Weber would accompany the caskets to Japan and arrange for a Mithril contractor to bury the bodies in their respective graves. From there, he'd return to the apartment and relieve McLain from his guard duty at the apartment watching over Kyoko, Shinji and Sousuke Jr.

"Will you be here for Yu Fan's tribunal, Lieutenant?" Sousuke and Kaname both turn in time to see Tessa giving Sousuke a sad smile. "It must not be easy for you. Reburying your parents, I mean."

"It's not a problem, Madam Captain. I just wish I could do more for Yu Fan."

"Considering the contents of your after-action report, it could have some weight for leniency, but I make no promises, Sousuke. They could easily order her executed for her crimes."

"I understand, Tessa. Does she understand?"

"Yes. And she's willing to take what responsibility she can all by herself. Considering the crimes she'd confessed to, I'm pretty sure they'll throw the metaphorical book at her."

"Yeah." Gazing at his watch, he adds, "We'll leave for Moscow in two days, Madam Captain. Hopefully that'll be sufficient time for Yu Fan's case to be settled on Mithril's terms."

"Agreed." Giving him a smile, she adds, "Your parents may not have been actual Mithril personnel, but they were close enough, Sousuke." Giving Sousuke a quick hug, she says, "I'm sure they're proud of you. I know I am. And Kaname is proud of you as well."

The next morning, a groggy Yu Fan opens her eyes at 0750 and sits up. Still exhausted, she yawns and stretches before doing her exercises. Exercises that got her back into shape before she'd killed Mei Ching.

'If I have any regrets, it was killing her. But, I'll gladly pay for it with my life should Mithril go that way.'

Forty-five minutes later, Mao and Sousuke come to her cell and instruct her to stick her hands through the bars. As they put the restraints on, they see Yu Fan's eyes are droopy.

"Didn't get much sleep, huh?"

"No. There was no I way I could sleep with all those thoughts racing through my head, Sergeant Major. Am I going to die and go to Hell for what my sister and I've done or will I even live to see grey in my hair? All of it. It's not exactly conducive to sound sleeping, you know."

Silently, they move her through the corridor until they reach the door normally used for such proceedings. As they walk through the door, Yu Fan's eyes spring wide open in delighted and confused surprise.

"Tony? When'd you get here?" Smiling happily for the first time since officially being taken into Mithril custody, she feels Tony's arms wrap around her and she returns the gesture as much as possible.

"I got here late last night."

"But, but how?"

"Let's just say the SECDEF knows some people that knows some people and leave it at that." At Yu Fan's stunned look, which resembles a deer caught in headlights, he adds, "Thinking of, meet Defense Secretary John Keller. Mr Secretary, Xia Yu Fan."

"Miss Xia." Keller reaches his hand forward and a stunned Yu Fan accepts it.

"Mr Secretary." Yu Fan's voice is so soft, she's barely audible.

"I understand you'd gotten yourself into a bit of a bind, young lady."

Weakly nodding, she replies, "Yes, sir."

"This proceeding will now come to order." At the voice, they cease their conversation and direct their attention to the panel. In the middle is a man wearing a regal-looking monocle glass, with four other men wearing tan Mithril uniforms.

"The accused, Xia Yu Fan, will step forward to hear the charges against her as a result of terrorist actions committed by her and her late sister, Xia Yu Lan." Nodding to one man, the man wearing the monocle turns the proceeding over to him.

"Xia Yu Fan, on the charge and specification of multiple counts of murder in the first degree, you are charged. On the charge and specification of damaging sovereign Chinese property, you are charged. On the charge and specification of reckless criminal havoc, you are charged. How do you plead?"

"Guilty as charged, sir. I'm ready and willing to take your worst punishment."

The man wearing the monocle nods and replies, "Noted. We will now hear testimony for leniency to base our punishment. Sergeant Major Melissa Mao, you have the floor."

"Yes sir. During the Hong Kong crisis, Xia Yu Fan had the opportunity to crush myself and then-Sergeant Sousuke Sagara to death with her Chodarl Arm Slave. She didn't take it. Instead, she leaped over us and concentrated on the Hong Kong forces. Furthermore, she's recently shown a more human side to her persona, which makes her a prime candidate at a second chance at life."

Nodding, the monocle-wearing man says, "Noted. Next, Lieutenant Sousuke Sagara. You may offer your testimony."

"Yes sir. During the recent tour in Afghanistan, Yu Fan came across a wrecked Coalition Patrol convoy that only had one survivor. She had the chance to kill him, but didn't. That survivor is now here to offer his testimony for leniency. I'll turn it over to PFC Tony Reynolds." With that, Tony takes his spot and stands beside Yu Fan.

"Sir, Xia Yu Fan could have easily killed me when she had the chance and hesitated. I didn't know why at the time, but I suspect she was feeling all alone without anyone to talk to. Then that mess came up and we were forced to flee for our lives as we were literally outgunned. Xia Yu Fan detected your two Arm Slaves and coordinated the counter-attack, allowing the attacker to have no chance of survival."

'Why'd he lie? I did no such thing! At least not the coordinating part.' Much to her surprise, the monocle-wearing man nods again.

"Very well. So noted, PFC Reynolds. Xia Yu Fan, do you have anything to add on your own behalf?"

"Other than I love Tony and only want him to be happy, not really, sir." The monocle-wearing man nods once more before giving his response.

"Very well. The tribunal will now confer." The projections lean toward each other and debate back and forth before agreeing. "The tribunal has reached it's verdict and decision for punishment. Xia Yu Fan, step forward." Once she's done so, the lead man goes on. "By your plea, the verdict is guilty on all counts." Yu Fan feels her body sag in defeat, but manages to keep herself erect as the lead man resumes.

"For your crimes, you most certainly would have been sentenced to death. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir. I'm ready to die." Suddenly blinking, she asks, "Would have been?"

"Correct, Miss Xia. Due to the presence of extenuating circumstances, given your education through the terrorist known as Gauron to fight against Amalgam, this tribunal feels you should be given a new start in life. A chance to start over. A clean slate if you will."

"But, the crimes my sister and I committed on behalf of Amalgam. What about them?"

One of the other men says, "Those crimes were committed by two contracted members of Amalgam, now deceased. Lieutenant Sagara, educate Miss Xia if you please." Before anyone can move or say anything, a gunshot rings out in the room.

"I've just killed Xia Yu Fan." Yu Fan looks up and instantly wonders why she was on the floor. Along with how she got down there. As Tony goes to her side, Sousuke, holding a smoking Glock 17, goes on. "Her crimes and the crimes of her sister have now been punished in full. Your new life starts now, Mei Ling Reynolds. Keep in mind it's your public identity. You can only use your true name in private with Tony and us as we will be watching over you."

Giving Sousuke a smile, she's helped up by Tony and asks him a question with her eyes. Getting a reply, she goes on and gives Sousuke a hug of gratitude.

Softly sobbing in joy, she says, "Thank you." Stepping back from Sousuke, Yu Fan looks over at Kaname and says, "Take good care of him and your son, Mrs Sagara."

"I will, Yu Fan. You do the same. Go have some kids." Yu Fan's face takes on a smile before her jaw drops after fully processing the name.

"Reynolds? You mean?"

"Yep. It's all been arranged. It's part of your new life. Mithril has made the arrangements. As I said, you can only use your true name in private with Tony and us."

"It's all so sudden." Her eyes going wide, she then asks, "What about Amalgam? If they see me, they'll know I'm still alive."

"Something tells me Amalgam's going to be very busy for the next fifteen years rebuilding the Sho-Da-Kah. Plus, if you're worried about them, I can give you a trim like I did with Sousuke. Oh, here comes Tessa." Yu Fan turns around and sees a frowning Tessa.

"Given your information on Amalgam's assets, we were able to cross reference them with minor league operations normally under Sho-Da-Kah control. Operations that, under normal circumstances, can be handled by local law enforcement. Recently, however, they were swept up by Amalgam and have since gone underground. Our allies are aware of this fact and are keeping themselves ready."

"Allies?"

"Correct, Yu Fan. But, you don't need to worry about that aspect. You're not part of that world anymore. You're an innocent now. Consider it Mithril's version of the Witness Protection Program."

"True. But, I know things. I wish to do my part, in any way possible. Consider it my first step to redemption."

"You've a clean slate now. You're not 'her' anymore."

"I will always be 'her', Mrs Sagara. I just have a new name with a public record. What I'd done in the past is not something I can just put behind me."

"What do you want to do, Yu Fan?" At Tony's question, Yu Fan gives him a sad smile. "You can do what you want. But you're not going to lose me in the process. I'll back your decision, whatever it may be."

With those words of reassurance, Yu Fan nods and makes her decision.

A day later, in the pre-dusk hours, Sousuke and Kaname arrive at the Moscow Airport, with McLain in tow. The new Mithril warrior had returned to Merida Island just hours beforehand and was assigned to be the Sagara couple's protection detail.

"I still can't believe that Yu Fan chose to join Mithril and became the new Urzu 7."

"Nor can I, Kaname. But, it happened. Sergeant, how well do you know Moscow?"

Giving a weak grin, McLain shrugs and replies, "Not very well, sir. Never been here before."

Quirking her eyebrow, Kaname says, "Huh. Rather strange that Tessa had assigned you to come along with us when you don't know a thing about Moscow, Sergeant."

"Yeah. That's what I thought too, Mrs Sagara." Giving a slight shrug, McLain adds, "Oh well."

Back on Merida Island, Tessa is cackling like an insane witch on crack cocaine. "Yes, it's all coming together nicely." Still cackling, she adds, "Hopefully, he'll meet the girl of his dreams over there." With one last cackle, she begins coughing. Ending her coughing fit, she rubs her neck and mutters, "I need some chilled coffee. The cackling's murder on the throat."

Back in Moscow, the group exits the Airport and hail a taxi. Speaking in Russian, Sousuke tells the driver their destination. To say the driver was impressed would be an understatement. Needless to say, he tries engaging Sousuke in conversation. Without much luck.

_"Ah, you're the laconic type, yes?"_

_"I only speak when it's necessary."_

_"I understand, friend. But, still, you could use more culture. Your Russian's pretty good for a Japanese."_

_"I learned through my foster Father.__ He pulled me through some troubling times."_

_"Is your foster Father at the address we're going to?"_

_"Negative. He's elsewhere. The man I'm meeting was from when I'd just lost my parents as a boy."_

_"I see. A mission of vengeance, then?"_

_"Negative. This is just to update him of my status."_ Upon feeling the cab slow down, he looks at the address and adds, _"It would appear as if we have nothing further to discuss for right now."_

_"So it would seem, friend. Incidentally, if you need a ride, just stick out your thumb. I'll be nearby as this is my new regular route."_

_"Thank you kindly."_ With that, the group gets out of the cab and the driver rolls his eyes as he pulls away.

_"There's nothing worse than a smart-ass Japanese kid. This is no way to make a living."_

Once they reach the door, Sousuke knocks on it. When the door opens, a slender young woman with red hair looks outside, shivers and waves them inside. _"Come inside, quickly. It's beginning to get cold once again and you look like your hair is freezing, ma'am."_ As Sousuke and the others enter, she gets a good look at them. Especially McLain. _"Are you big stud where you're from?"_

Much to her chagrin, McLain doesn't reply since he doesn't understand her. But Sousuke understood her quite well. _"Sorry about my friend. His Russian is non-existent. I'll be more than happy to translate for you__ unless you can speak English."_

"Yes. I speak English. I'm Irina."

"Ah, good to meet you, Irina. This is my wife, Kaname and this is our friend, J.W. McLain. We're here to see your Father. Is he about?"

"Yes, he is. And who would you be, sir?"

"I'm the boy he came across in Afghanistan years ago. Though I doubt he told you about me. I'm Sousuke Sagara."

"Father never told me about his time in Afghanistan, Mr Sagara. He claimed it was to keep me from having nightmares." Irina smiles as she adds, "It looks like you managed to pull through without getting hurt too badly, though."

"Yeah. More or less."

"Well, if you're ready, Mr and Mrs Sagara, Mr McLain, follow me please." As the group follows her in, they soon see a bed with a colorful quilt on it. Switching to Russian, Irina says, _"Father, you have visitors."_

_"So I've heard, Irina. I'm glad Moscow University had an excellent English course. You've done far better than your old man did."_ Letting out a loud guffaw, he opens his eyes and smiles upon seeing his guests. _"So, you've come to see me, have you?"_

_"Affirmative."_ Dimitri looks at Sousuke intently and scrunches his eyebrow in scrutiny.

_"Your face is familiar, but I cannot place why."_

_"Think back about ten years, in Afghanistan. A boy of eight years of age, freshly orphaned. __His parents dead on the ground in front of him. __Ring any bells?"_

A flash of recognition lights up Dimitri's eyes and he says, _"__Irina, get out__ vodka and entertain our one guest__s__ Particularly o__ne you're fawning over."_

_"Father!"_ Irina's shriek has her Father guffawing and her face beet red. _"Sergei just died three months ago, for crying out loud!"_

_"Sergei was fool__ and rushed to his death__, Irina. This young man beside you, now he can handle himself. I just wonder if he can handle vodka as well."_

_"Very well, Father. Just stop teasing me when we're done. Okay?"_

_"Don't worry, daughter. I only tease when you're nearby."_ As Dimitri laughs, a helpless Irina looks over at McLain.

In English, she asks, "Any chance I can come with you when you leave, Mr McLain? I don't know how much teasing I can handle from my Father."

"Sure, as long as you have a passport. Wyatt and Jessie will be happy to meet you."

"I have passport. Father insisted I get one for when I got older. Wyatt and Jessie?"

"My siblings." Giving her a sad smile, he adds, "If she'd been able to, Belle as well."

"Why don't you tell me all about it while we drink to our loved ones?"

"Sure. We'll toast them until we're 'toasted' ourselves." Irina's giggling has McLain smiling brightly as she guides him toward another part of the residence. "You have a cute giggle."

_"My daughter's always been kind, loving soul. When Sergei died, she lost her warmth. Much as I'm sure you'd lost your innocence, Little Comrade."_

_"Affirmative. I had when I killed my first Soviet soldier. I was so convinced they had killed my parents, I forgot who the true culprit was.__ It wasn't until much later after my wife and I left for our honeymoon before I started remembering."_

_"Do you recall vow you took that day?"_

_"I do. And I carried it out."_

_"Good. Once we got him back to base, we walked away from him, completely disgusted with his atrocious manner__. I even went to Comrade Captain__ Kalinin to report his action."_

_"You knew him, sir?"_

_"Oh yes. He may __have been Spets__naz, but he was__ fellow Soviet and he was trustworthy. Without permission from superior__ officers__, he went in search of you. __I think he was wanting to take you under his wing. __He came back disappointed at not finding you. I was disheartened as well until year later."_

Giving Sousuke a small grin, he goes on. _"__M__ost troublesome boy called Kashim started going through our men__. And I mean easily as though it was__ like he was__ casually__ ordering cheeseburgers."_ Sousuke and Dimitri both share a laugh while a perplexed Kaname can only stare on.

Noticing her state, Dimitri asks, _"She doesn't understand Russian, does she Little Comrade?"_

_"Negative. She's fluent in only English and Japanese.__ But, she's also smart in other areas. Areas I can't really discuss."_

_"I see."_

_"Are you in contact with any of your other comrades?"_

_"No. I even tried finding Kalinin, but KGB __had branded him traitor to Russian__ people when he'd sided with__ Afghani rebels. They told me, for my sake, to forget about him as he wasn't worth my time."_Giving a sad smile, he quietly adds, _"He's probably dead by now."_

_"He isn't."_ Dimitri looks up at Sousuke and sees him nodding. _"He's alive and well. Along with__ being__ my superior officer__ and Father figure__."_ Excitedly leaning upward from his bed, Dimitri gives Sousuke a smile of joy.

_"What nation's army? America? One of other European nations?"_

_"It's an organization not aligned with any official government. It goes from place to place, fighting the good fight where it's needed."_

_"Lot of places need that these days."_ Giving Sousuke a proud smile, he adds, _"You must have seen quite a few things, Little Comrade."_

_"Affirmative, sir. As has Kaname."_

_"Is__ her name?__ She's real beauty like Irina is. I think your comrade's captivated by her.__"_

_"Yes.__ It would seem so.__Kanam__e and I have a son and we're on our honeymoon."_

_"Well, I mustn't keep you and Kaname__ up__ any lo__nger. You both look dead on__ feet__."_

_"We can go a little longer. We just came from a waypoint after leaving Afghanistan."_

_"You were there? What for?"_

_"To retrieve my parents' bodies for __re__burial__ back__ in Japan."_

_"Ah. Child's solemn duty that must be carried out."_

_"Affirmative."_

_"From last few minutes of your parents' lives, I could tell they loved you dearly and only wanted happiness and good health for you."_

_"Why didn't you stop him, sir? There was only one of him and seven of you."_ Tears of pain starting to fall from the teen mercenary's eyes, he asks, _"Why?"_

_"I make no excuses. I can only tell you facts. He grabbed AK-47 from Mikhail's hands before he could stop him. By time Mikhail had gotten his wits together, your parents were dead. When I saw Oshimura aiming Mikhail's weapon at you, I had to do something to save your life. So, I lied to Oshimura about Afghani rebels nearing location. He was so convinced, he dropped AK-47 and ran like dog he was. It wasn't until later we caught up with him and had good laugh at his expense. Of course, he had no clue we were laughing at him. So, he started laughing as well. Boy, what a__ psychotic__ putz."_

With that, both veterans of the Afghani war share a good sized belly laugh. Until a certain female, that doesn't like being left in the dark, hits them both with the halisen.

"What's so funny, Sousuke?" A still laughing Sousuke gets up and shakes his head to clear the ringing from his head.

Switching back to Japanese, he replies, "It seems Mr Ilyasovich here shares a common opinion of my late 'Godfather'. An opinion that fit him rather well."

"Yeah? What was it?"

"Psychotic putz." Before Kaname can stop it, she starts laughing as well. "I'll tell you one thing for sure, Kaname. He was such a putz, he'd have been better off swan diving onto a minefield in a Speedo." Kaname stops laughing as her face takes on a look of revulsion and horror combined.

"Uck! Sousuke! That's not one bit funny! That's disgusting and disturbing! Uck!" Her eyes glinting in mischief, she then says, "Of course, I wonder how you'd look in a Speedo, Sousuke."

"Uhhh." His eyes can't help but go wide as the young beauty saunters over to him.

"I think you'd look pretty good in one. So good, I don't think I'd be able to keep my bikini on at first sight of you in one." Giving him a seductive smirk, she thinks, 'I like having him like putty in my hands!'

"Uhhh." When she gets to him, she wraps him in her arms and nestles her face into his neck. Just below his ear.

"Let's find out next summer."

"Uhhh." Any further sound from Sousuke is cut off as Kaname gives him a passionately sultry kiss while Dimitri guffaws in amusement. As he guffaws, the couple keeps up their lip-locking.

_"This Little Comrade is lady killer! If only Irina's Mother was still around."_ Scratching his head, he mutters, _"For matter, where is Irina? Irina!"_

_"Yes, Father?"_

_"Where are you?"_

_"In my room, getting my brains fucked out by Mr McLain!__ And he's even got a tattoo__ on his dick__"_

_"Watch your mouth, young lady! I may have lost legs, but I can still put you over knees and give you spanking!"_

_"Sorry!"_ A loud giggle is heard from Irina's room as furniture crashes. As he listens to Irina's laughter, Dimitri can only laugh as he shakes his head in proud disbelief.

_"Kids. Can't live with them. Can't live without them. I could give it try, but it'll be hard as Hell."_

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, a young Chinese woman with short-cut black hair is exiting a massive black GMC Topkick that just stopped outside a house. Sitting on the porch, a woman with blond hair and holding a baby smiles upon seeing the two men with the young woman.

"You're home and with new friends, I see."

"Yeah." Smiling at the two young people, he says, "Mei, Tony, meet my wife, Sarah. Sarah, this is Corporal Tony Reynolds and his wife, Mei Ling."

"Hello, Tony, Mei Ling. Welcome to the Lennox house. Will, hold Annabelle please while I take these two inside."

"Sure honey." Taking their infant daughter into his arms, he smiles as he walks back toward the Topkick. Once Sarah's gone back inside, he smiles as he says, "She's a little beauty, isn't she Ironhide?"

**"She certainly is. Lennox?****"**

"Yeah, guy."

**"Aren't you the slightest bit concerned about the female that just joined your family? Especially her past and all?"**

"Yeah, but I'm sure she'll do the right thing. It was part of the deal the SECDEF struck with the higher-ups in charge."

**"You mean Mithril?"**

"Yep. That I do."

**"How is it that only a small handful of people know about this 'Mithril' group and not many know about us? After all, our presence isn't exactly well hidden."**

"Two words, Ironhide. Spin teams."

**"Spin teams? I'm not familiar with that term."**

"Basically, they're people that print lies to protect people from doing something stupid. Like panicking and whatnot. Kind of like Decepticons that are on the side of good."

**"Bah. The day that happens is the day Barricade becomes an actual Law Enforcement vehicle. He may look it, but he's no cop."** Sending his sensors to look toward the house, he mutters, **"I still think it's a bad idea to let a former assassin and her new husband live with you until they get a place of their own."**

"Just give it a chance. What could go wrong?" Next they know, Sarah calls out for Will.

"Oh Will! You need to see this!" As Will strides quickly into the house, Ironhide's body shakes as if saying, 'I told ya so!' while suppressing the urge to transform.

"Oh my God!" Before Ironhide can transform, Will, Sarah, Tony and Mei come back outside carrying a cake. A cake with a unique touch.

Writing that says, 'Welcome to a new life!' on it. Done in blood red and sky blue, with the letters alternating. From red at the start to sky blue at the exclamation point.

**'Hmm, well I'll be. Maybe some can change.'**

Will gives Ironhide a smirk and nods Mei onward to the massive truck. When she gets there, she bows before giving the grill a cold glare.

"I don't know if you can hear me or not like this, so listen well, Ironhide. I know you don't like me and I don't really care. But know this. If anything happens to Tony, Sarah, Annabelle or Will, heads will clearly roll. Understood?" A barely audible gulp can be heard from the vehicle and Mei smiles.

"Good. If you can, pass it on to your enemies. The message does not apply to you. Only them. Got it?" A flash from the fog lamps is the only answer she requires. Smiling softly as she pats the bumper, she then says, "I think we'll get along quite well then. Sleep tight, Ironhide."

As Mei goes back into the house, Ironhide is torn between shuddering and chortling in amusement. **'Barrica****de would not like to be on her bad side****. That's for damn sure!'**

Back in Moscow, Irina is holding McLain to herself before finding herself curious. "What's the story behind the tattoo, J.W?"

"I got it after killing the guy that killed Belle and then his entourage of criminals. To celebrate my victory over them, I went to a bar off-base, got drunk and passed out. Woke up the next morning in the barracks with a hangover and a tattoo. I wouldn't recommend the tattoo. It hurts like Hell. Especially in that spot in particular."

"Then why have _'S__emper __F__idelis' _tattooed on your dick?"

Shrugging, McLain replies, "I was drunk and didn't know what I was saying, I guess."

"Well, I've always wanted a man with a tattoo on his dick. Looks like I've got the right man." Irina giggles as McLain kisses her before entering her again. "Hmm, batter up, J.W."

That night in the Lennox house, in their assigned room, Yu Fan and Tony make love for the first time since their quiet and private wedding on Merida Island. Once their lovemaking's ended, they just hold each other. Until Tony breaks the silence.

"When do you start at Mithril?"

"It depends on when your leave ends. When you head out, I'll head out. That way, I can concentrate on fighting terrorists without staying awake at night, wondering if you'll come home to me alive or in a coffin." Clutching him closer, she adds, "Then again, I'll just worry about you, anyway."

"Yeah. I know how you feel." When Yu Fan looks up at him, he pecks her lips and holds her tightly against him. "If you were to die on a mission and I don't know about it, I don't know what I'd do."

"We're certainly a pair, aren't we soldier?" Upon hearing Tony chuckle, she can't help but chuckle as well. "The two of us, being part of the world's toughest militaries, and we can't help but be worried about each other."

"That's married life for us, I guess. A beautiful, young former assassin and a young soldier that fell in love with each other. What are the odds and who'd have thought?"

Giggling as she kisses his lips, she replies, "You've got a good point, honey. Of course, if Sousuke and Kaname are a good reference point, we'll use that." Running her hand along his chest, she asks, "Do you think your parents will understand, Tony?"

"I think so. They're normally pretty open-minded and hold no ill will toward anyone. But, they're bound to be furious when we tell them we got hitched without them being present. And I doubt they'd understand about you having been an assassin or our wedding site was a headquarters for a secret merc force's West Pacific Tactical Unit." That gets Yu Fan to burst out laughing, with Tony joining her.

"Oh, how true that is." Calming her laughing down to light giggles while Tony snickers, she then asks, "What do you think their reactions would be? Off hand, that is."

"Best case scenario, they get mildly ticked, insist on throwing us a big-ass bash with the trimmings and want grandkids ASAP." That alone gets Yu Fan blushing and laughing again. Once she calms down, he goes on. "Worst case scenario, they disavow us and we search for our own home to live in."

"If that does happen, is there such a place?" Giving him a slight squeeze, she presses her face into his neck.

"If there isn't, then we'll just have make one for the both of us."

After a moment of silence, Yu Fan asks, "Think there's room for three or more?"

"How can you be sure, honey? We just made love the other day."

Starting to smile, she softly replies, "Just humor me. Please."

"Well, in that case, we'll just have to think of something." Gazing down into her eyes and seeing her soft smile, he asks, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Mithril's medical technology has updated tremendously since Mrs Sagara gave birth. I'm having a boy and a girl." Next thing she knows, Tony's lips are against hers and she wraps her arms around him even more.

"I love you, Mrs Reynolds."

"I love you too, Mr Reynolds."

The next morning, back in Moscow, Sousuke, Kaname, McLain and Irina are getting ready to go to the Airport with Dimitri, who's only going there to see them off. As they wait for the cab, Irina smiles at McLain before kissing him. They separate from the kiss in time to see the taxi, in the form of a van, arrive.

Sousuke and McLain both help Dimitri into the van after Kaname and Irina had entered to help on the other end. Once they're all in, Irina tells the driver their destination. The ride lasts for ten silent minutes. When they get to the airport, Sousuke instructs the driver to wait until Dimitri returns and help him back in. When the driver starts to refuse, Irina tells the driver to do as Sousuke said.

Without waiting for a reply, the group goes into the airport. As they walk in, they don't notice the driver pulling away from the airport. When they get their tickets from the Mithril operative in the terminal, they head for their respective gates. Which happen to be right beside each other. Smiling sadly, Dimitri turns to Irina and reaches his hand out to her.

_"Nervous, daughter?"_

_"Yes, but I'm more worried about you, Father. How will you get around?"_

_"Do not worry about__ old war horse. I have some friends in Moscow Militia and some in mafiya. They'll watch over me."_

_"Father, mafiya are criminals."_

_"Maybe so, but they were brothers in arms to me. They won't let anything happen to me."_

_"Father, I'm still going to worry about you."_

Giving his daughter a smile, Dimitri replies, _"If your Mother was here, she'd say run away from useless cripple, do not worry about him and find your happiness. In this case, she's partially right."_ Before Irina can protest what he'd just said, he adds, _"Go be happy and have lots of grandbabies for me to bounce on knees when I come to visit."_

_"You're coming to Texas to visit?"_

_"Yes. In one year time. I expect to see __at least one __bundle of joy in your arms when I come see you both."_

Blushing blood red, Irina embraces her Father as she says, _"Goodbye, Father."_

_"Goodbye, daughter."_ Giving McLain a sad smile, he goes on. _"It's too bad I'm too old to learn English.__ I'd have enjoyed speaking with young Mr McLain here.__"_

_"Actually, sir, I taught the man that betrayed my parents English."_ Dimitri turns to face Sousuke, a proud smile on his face.

_"You did?"_

_"Yes. However, I don't think he liked my method of instruction__ very much__."_

_"Oh? I wonder why."_

_"I took a chair, sat it's lower bar across his neck and sat on it."_

_"Ouch!"_ Unable to resist laughing, Dimitri begins laughing, as does Irina. As he gets his laughter back under control, he asks, _"Why'd you do that, Little Comrade?"_

_"Well, I couldn't lift his piano, so I had to settle for a chair__ that just happened to be in front of it__."_

Dimitri's guffawing starts up again, with Irina starting up again, catching the attention of a Moscow Militia Officer that just happens to be nearby. Not just any Officer, but a Captain. His face taking on a stern frown, he walks over to them.

_"You need to calm down. You're scaring people, comrades."_

Getting his laughter under control, Dimitri smiles at the voice and replies, _"My apologies, Ivan. My young friend from Afghanistan here was just regaling me with story from his recent foray into education. Namely, English language teaching and linguistics skills."_

_"Ah. __How__'d he do?"_ As Dimitri whispers into his ear, Ivan's face takes on a look of shocked horror. Looking over at Sousuke, he asks, _"Do you __happen to __speak English__ by any chance__?"_

_"Affirmative."_ Ivan nods and switches to English before giving Sousuke a semi-amused look.

"Good. What in the world possessed you to put a chair onto a man's throat and sit on it?"

"You did what? Sousuke!" Before Kaname can slap him with her halisen, Sousuke takes her into his arms and kisses her. As he releases her from the kiss, she snarls out, "You think you can buy your way out of this, Sous-kun?"

"I'm not buying, I'm bargaining."

"Okay. I'll listen."

"I'll tell you why I did what I did and I'll let you decide whether or not to hit me."

"Fair enough." As he tells her, she begins chortling uncontrollably, only for it to turn to guffaws of hilarity. When he's done, she composes herself and whacks him good. "You selfish jerk! What if I had wanted to do that to him? You ever think about that, Sousuke?"

"Well, you could always do it to me when we get home, Kaname."

"Well, I could, but I worry I may hurt you severely."

"I wasn't finished." Leaning over to whisper in her ear, she listens intently as he whispers. Her face going red and her mouth curling into a seductive smile, she nods eagerly when he's finished. "Sound good, Kaname?"

"Sure. It'll be our special thing when Sousuke Jr's in his crib."

Looking at the couple, Irina asks, "Do I really want to know what they're discussing, J.W.?"

"Nope. I reckon this is strictly for them."

"I agree." Turning to a still-grinning Dimitri, Irina gives her Father and Ivan a quick hug, saying, _"I'll be in touch, Father, Uncle Ivan."_ Returning the embrace, Ivan steps back and looks intently at McLain.

"Irina is like niece to me. If you treat her badly, I'll rip your spine out through your chest and decorate my wall with it. Got it?"

Giving him a crisp salute, McLain replies, "Message heard loud and clear, sir!"

"Good man." As he watches the two couples head toward their gates, he catches sight of another flight coming in. "Here comes Ridzik. I just hope he's ready for Moscow. I know Chicago wasn't ready for me. So Moscow's probably not ready for him." Five minutes later, the couple begins boarding their flights. Ten minutes later, the planes taxi to their respective runways and roll to take-off speed.

Watching the flights take off in separate directions, he switches to Russian and says, _"May your trips be safe and your lives well-lived. Farewell, comrades."_

Fifteen minutes later, he hears, "Hey, Gumby!" Turning to see who'd called him, he sees a heavyset Detective that's waving and smiling at him. Waving back and smiling, he hears, "Wait till I tell you about my flight, buddy!"

"I'm looking forward to it!" Shaking his head, Ivan quickly switches to Russian and mutters, _"Moscow's definitely not ready for__ Art__ Ridzik!"_ Turning to Dimitri as Ridzik arrives, he says, _"Dimitri, this is my friend from the States. Detective Art Ridzik of the Chicago Police."_

_"He seems to be__ nice guy. Why do you not think Moscow's ready for him?"_

_"__He is nice. For most part. As for why, y__ou'll__ see."_ Upon seeing Ridzik's grin, he grins right back, switches to English and asks, "How was your flight?"

"I'll tell you in Russian. Hold on. I'm trying to remember my lessons. Okay. How's this?" Switching to Russian, Ridzik replies, _"I had a rabbit stuffed up my ass and enjoyed it."_ To Ridzik's surprise, Dimitri starts laughing and Ivan rolls his eyes in exasperation. Switching back to English, Ridzik asks, "What? Did I say something the wrong way, Gumby?"

"No. More like you said something never expected of travelers coming here. What did you think you were saying?"

"I thought I said the flight was enjoyable with no incidents." Seeing Ivan stoically shake his head 'no', Ridzik gulps and asks, "What was my reply, Gumby?"

"You said you a rabbit stuffed up your ass and enjoyed it." Unable to contain himself any longer, Ivan bursts into laughter as he claps Ridzik on his back. "Don't worry, friend. By the time you're ready to leave, one of two things will happen. One, you'll be fluent in Russian with my help. Two, I'll be translating for you until you fly back home."

"Okay." Noticing Dimitri, he asks, "Who's he and what happened to his legs?"

"This is Comrade Lieutenant Dimitri Ilyasovich of the Red Army. His legs were blown off in the Balkan war."

"How well does he speak English?"

"He doesn't speak it at all. He's fluent in Japanese and Russian only."

"I see. I took some Japanese as well. Here goes." Giving Dimitri a smile while switching to Japanese, he says, _"Sorry about the deal you were given, friend."_ Smiling that he'd found a friend he can speak to easily, Dimitri gives his reply.

_"Don't worry,__ friend. Just gotta focus on__ positives of life. Like my young comrade had before he left."_

_"Oh? Where'd he go and what's he done?"_

_"He and his wife flew back to Japan as you were arriving.__ He recently taught__ man__ in Afghanistan__ to speak English."_ Giving Ridzik a grin, Dimitri adds, _"By straddling a chair across his neck."_ As Ridzik laughs, Ivan can only shake his head and mutter once again.

_"Forget Moscow. All of Russia's not ready for Ridzik!" _

On their flight to Japan, Sousuke and Kaname snuggle into each other as much as possible. Draping her fingers along Sousuke's lean arm, she asks, "Do you have any regrets from the time on our honeymoon, my love?"

"Other than we were unable to see Australia, not really. Then again, our honeymoon became a working honeymoon of sorts. So, if I had to regret anything, it was bringing my work with us."

"Oh Sousuke, you silly. It wasn't your fault. You had no way of knowing we'd come across a couple where the male has a condition that freezes the aging process. You had no way of resisting the urge to dispense Justice with me at your side. Our third leg was kind of interesting. Our fourth leg was nice and relatively peaceful. Our fifth leg was an adventure. One that we shouldn't even ever tell Sousuke Jr about under any circumstances."

"Yeah. If we did, it'd give the poor kid nightmares. We'd spend a fortune on therapy bills for psychiatrists' appointments and such."

"Yeah. No doubt about that." Next thing she knows, Sousuke begins chuckling. "What, honey?"

"Just thinking about what Tony and Yu Fan are doing right now."

"Chances are, hopefully, they're holding each other in peaceful wedded bliss like we are."

In the afternoon in the States, wearing a happy grin on her face, Yu Fan yells out, "Come on, honey! Let's keep up those sharpshooting skills!" At the Lennox house, Yu Fan and Tony had dug foxholes and are starting their newest activity for them to do together. Target practice. "I bet I can get more than you can!"

"Bring it on, baby!"

At that, the young couple lets out a cheer of joy as they open rapid fire on targets marked 'terrorists' and 'Amalgam'. As the Lennox couple sits on the front porch with Annabelle, Sarah can only shake her head in amused disbelief.

"They're as bad as you are, Will."

"What can I say, honey? Combat brought them both together from two very different worlds."

"Yeah. It's a shame what that poor girl and her sister had gone through." Giving him a fond smile, she adds, "At least she bounced back well. And, with a purpose, she won't go stir crazy. At least until she gets those lunatic losers in her sights. Then she can go trigger happy to her heart's content."

"Yeah. But, you know, I almost feel sorry for those poor schmucks. Almost."

Giggling lightly, she turns toward the shooting couple and sighs. "You can go play with your new friends, Will. Just remember to play nicely." As Will goes to join them, his rifle in tow, Sarah can only laugh as she points Annabelle toward the trio. "That is why your Father's so lovable, Annabelle. He'll always take whatever time he can get to play with his friends or you."

Looking up at the sky, she thinks, 'God, please watch over the sparks of the Autobots, the souls in the US Military and Mithril. For I can't help but feel that more challenges and crises await them all.'

In New York City, a man, lying in his bed as he prepares for death, picks up his phone and punches in a number. The phone rings two times and a groggy voice replies.

_"Hello?"_

"Go secure." A scrambled garble registers on his end, prompting a smile.

_"Secured. You're go, Mr Gold."_

"Mr Cadmium, I'm turning over the reins of the Sho-Da-Kah and Amalgam to you. My end is near and I've done all I can with the time I have remaining. My time grows short, so I'll be brief. It falls to you, old friend, to restore the power of the Sho-Da-Kah under Amalgam's brilliance."

_"I understand, sir."_

"I will not allow this agenda to be derailed, Gerald. I'm sure you know the consequences of failure, seeing as a new Mr Silver has been chosen." A gulp on the other end as heard and Mr Gold smiles again.

_"You mean?"_

"I do, Gerald. He's already on his way with the proper documentation. Also, I expect you to succeed in finding the members of Team Hawk. Once they're found, I want them hurt, on the ground, bleeding. In short, I want them dead. Failure is not an option. Watch yourself against Mithril, as well. They're wily foes." Recalling another item, he takes a breath before asking.

"Were you able to find the item?"

_"Yes, sir. It took some doing and quite a few favors with the dumping __c__rew, but we managed to obtain the item you'd inquired about. But, it's pretty heavily damaged, sir. It can be scrapped for parts at best, but that's all that can be done to expand the research we're doing." _

"Good. That is all."

_"I understand sir. Enjoy your rest. I hope to greet you when my time comes, sir."_

"Likewise, Mr Gold. I look forward to seeing you as well." Hanging up the phone, the former Mr Gold smiles as he dies.

The next morning, the dead body of Simon Garfunkle, billionaire industrialist and charity supporter, is found by his maid as she comes in to work. Checking for a pulse as she's a part-time RN, she finds none and contacts the man's family. They, in turn, notify the biggest mortuary in the state.

Five hours later, as the workers enter his room, they can see him smiling. Scratching their heads, they can't help but be puzzled at the strange look on the man's face.

"His life's work has been fulfilled." Turning around, they can see Cynthia Garfunkle, Simon's daughter. "All my Father's dreams of helping the common man had come true as much as he could help them."

One of them nods and replies, "I see, Ms Garfunkle. Would you like a public service or a private one for your Father?"

"Let's go with the private service first, then go with a public memorial service."

"Very good, ma'am." Sensing the young woman wanted time to her Father, the one worker escorts his associate out of the room. Once the doors are locked, Cynthia turns toward her Father and frowns in a disappointed manner as she sheds her tears.

"Father, you didn't stick around for my wedding! You could have at least watched me get married before you kicked the bucket! Richard's a good man, Daddy! I only wish you had given him your blessing to marry me! Now I'll have to elope!" Upon hearing a knock at the door, Cynthia collects herself and opens the door. "Oh, Richard."

Taking her into his arms, he asks, "How're you holding up, Cyn?" He can't help but smile as Cynthia returns the gesture.

"As well as I can expect to. How're Mother and my brothers handling it?"

"It all depends."

Giving Richard a soft smile, she asks, "Depends on what, darling?"

"Whether their glares toward me are in support of our marriage or not."

"Are the glares beady or are they wide open?"

"Hmm, beady. Definitely beady."

"I guess that means we're eloping. I can't understand why Daddy didn't like you. After all, you're a Captain of the NYPD's ESU, Richard. A stand up guy. Just like him."

"I guess it's because we're from two different worlds, Cynthia. After all, I came from a blue-collar family. Worked hard and found my calling in the NYPD's ESU."

"Yeah. That is strange. After all, you're all about helping people when they need it most. Like Daddy was." Hearing him snort in respectful derision has Cynthia giggling. "What?"

"Maybe his idea of helping was giving away so much money just to keep from feeling guilty about being successful was in complete contrast to my ethic of working hard." Giving her a smirk, he then adds, "Besides, I don't think your Mom likes me very much anyway."

"Her problem, not mine." Looking over her Father's form one more time, she smiles and adds, "When we have children, let's tell them all about their grandfather and how generous he was to help the poor and downtrodden. They could very well grow to be Citizens of the Year consecutive times in a row. That would be a legacy any family could be proud of."

"Even yours?"

"When the time comes, they'll have no choice but to accept blue-collar into blue blood." Giving Richard a kiss, Cynthia then says, "Let's go to that cute little chapel on that hill we saw, sweetie."

"Sure thing, Cyn."

Ignoring the glares from Cynthia's Mother and five brothers, Richard Reese and Cynthia Garfunkle exit the Garfunkle manor and get into Richard's black Camaro. As he pulls the car around, they see a white Mustang GT with blue stripes, a blue Corvette, a pair of Lamborghinis; a red Diablo and a yellow Gallardo; and a green Jeep Wrangler four-door. All belonging to her brothers.

For as long as she could remember, she felt nervous around cars and never really understood her brothers. As such, she'd never gotten one. As they leave the grounds, Cynthia notices a red emblem in the form of a face on the passenger side of the dashboard.

"Richard, what's this love?" Looking over to see what Cynthia is talking about, he sees the face and shrugs.

"No clue, Cyn. It was there and on the steering wheel when I got the car. Got a good deal on it though, considering it was made in the nineties."

"Oh, so it's a custom item? We simply must name it then. How about 'Shadow Runner'?" A loud roar from the car's engine has Cynthia laughing mirthfully. "You didn't have to do that, Richard. You could have said if you liked it or not."

"Cyn, I didn't do a thing. It just did it on it's own." Shrugging, he says, "If it likes 'Shadow Runner', then that'll be it's name." Another engine roar causes Richard and Cynthia to burst out laughing together. Their laughter filled with mirth and joy.

At the chapel, they're married in a quiet ceremony by the Justice of the Peace. When they get to their hotel, Cynthia falls in love with the simple décor. Knowing that if they want to start a family, some sacrifices will be necessary. Except for two things. Champagne and 'Shadow Runner'.

As she brings out the champagne-filled glass flutes, Cynthia looks out the window and smiles at the Camaro. "Our first toast should be to 'Shadow Runner', Richard. We can drink to Father's soul and the others' health later on."

"Agreed." Raising his flute in tribute towards the Camaro, Richard says, "May you run long and hard, 'Shadow Runner'."

"And may you see Richard safely to and from work, 'Shadow Runner'. Cheers!" Clinking their flutes together and looping their arms, the newlywed couple drinks from them. Not knowing of the trials ahead of them or Cynthia's family.

In Japan, Kyoko Tokiwa and Shinji Kazama are getting ready to welcome their friends back home and return care of their baby boy to them. Kyoko is bursting with excitement as Kurz cooks up a German feast.

"So Kaname and Sousuke should be back by tomorrow, Sergeant Weber?"

"Yep, that they should, Kyoko. By the way, we're friends now. You don't have to address me by my rank. By this time tomorrow, I'll be back on the clock. So I gotta make the best of the time I've got left with my friends."

"True, Kurz. It's just too bad Sousuke and Kaname won't be able to get their hands on Mr Oshimura's lackeys."

"Well, that's the thing about suicide by train. Not only is it irreversible, but it's also quite messy."

Giggling in revulsion, Kyoko replies, "Yeah, to say the least."

Had Kyoko been looking outside the window, she'd have seen a night-black Hummer parked on the street below. Just before it drives away to parts unknown. For now. Suddenly, Kyoko feels a twinge inside her abdomen. Clamping her hand over her mouth, she races to the bathroom.

Barely making it in time, she empties her stomach's contents into the toilet bowl. Next thing she knows, she feels a familiar hand stroking her back.

"You okay, Kyoko?" Upon hearing Shinji's voice, Kyoko nods as she spits out the remaining traces of vomit.

"Yeah. But I might be a bit weak to walk, Shinji. You're gonna have to help me."

"Okay." As he lifts her up, he says, "First stop is the sink so you can brush your teeth."

"Yes sweetie pie."

"Kyoko!"

"Just kidding. Or am I?" For the rest of the night, Kyoko and Shinji watch over Sousuke Jr, wondering how his parents even coped with Kaname's pregnancy in the first place.

On their flight home, Sousuke and Kaname are holding each other while they sleep. Lightly stirring, Kaname opens her eyes and smiles upon seeing Sousuke's face.

'He's been through so much in his life and done so much at the same time. I'm proud he's my husband and our child's Father. Our child will definitely have what Sousuke was so cruelly denied.' Closing her eyes, Kaname gives Sousuke a 'good night' peck and goes back to sleep.

Author's Notes: Here we are folks, nearing the home stretch after a long, adventurous chapter. What'd you think about the action against Scorponok? Or the confrontation between Aziz and Sousuke? Were they intense or what?

Bonus twenty points to you if you can guess who Ridzik and Ivan are, as I've done a tribute to another movie I enjoyed watching. We've got more Transformers and Full Metal Panic action coming your way! More Autobots, more Amalgam stupidity, more FMP insanity incoming! You better get ready! Cause it's just around the bend!


	6. Take Six: Tokyo Transformations

Honeymoon p 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic! or Transformers. Wish I did though.

Author's Notes: Ah, there's no place like home. At least that's what Sousuke and Kaname feel until they meet some new friends and enemies from out of town. Hold on tight! Here we go!

Tokyo Transformations

As their flight nears Narita Airport, Sousuke and Kaname follow the directions of the flight attendant. Sousuke's call to Mithril's contractor for vehicle rental had proven fruitful, as a vehicle had become available at the last minute. With the cause being 'the vehicle had rejected the driver and company'.

When Sousuke tells Kaname the news, the young blue-haired beauty shrugs and rolls her eyes while smiling good-naturedly at her beloved. For to her, it doesn't really matter. If it means they can see their son before Sousuke takes the rental back, then it would be just fine with Kaname.

'After all, a car's a car. Right?'

Their entrance back into Japan is met with skeptical stares, but Mithril's inner man ensures the couple enters without further complication, citing they had left Japan through other means. Needless to say, this riles up the Airport employees and Japanese guards until a call assuages their qualms. Along with rattles their nerves with thoughts of their losing their jobs.

As they approach the counter, they smile at the young woman that clearly looks frazzled. Taking the opening, Kaname says, "Hi, we're the Sagaras coming back from our honeymoon. We understand our rental is ready."

"Let me see. Ah yes, here we are. Only, it's not a rental. It belongs to you, Mr and Mrs Sagara." Both teens' eyes go wide in shock at the news and the agent nods her understanding. "I'm terribly sorry, but everyone else that tried renting it was rejected by the vehicle."

"Oh come on." Rolling her eyes in good humor, Kaname puts out her hand and says, "I'll prove to you that this whole thing is totally absurd. Vehicles rejecting drivers. What's next? Cars that talk like they have common sense?"

"Yes. You have a point. But, please, don't worry about returning the vehicle to us. You're our last hope for sanity!" Before Sousuke or Kaname can quiz her further, she ducks down below the counter and starts trembling. Both teens then look over the counter and can't help but feel concerned about her.

'Man, she's seriously tripping on something!' Shrugging, she says, "Oh well. Come on, Sousuke. Our child awaits us."

"Roger." When they get outside, Kaname is aghast and Sousuke is mildly impressed. For the vehicle is a first generation Hummer station wagon. Black in color with red stripes. "Now that would be ideal for late night operations."

"Sousuke, that's a freakin' Hummer! I can't drive one of those!"

"Not to worry, Kaname. I've driven some Mithril Humvees in the past. This is the civilian version of the Humvee. It's not a problem." Walking toward the vehicle, he slows down as if waiting for Kaname.

Giving him a sarcastic growl, she says, "Only a military nut like you could appreciate the monstrosity in front of us."

"Look at it this way. At least it's a station wagon configuration. That way, if I have to mobilize, I'll be able to carry as many munitions as I may need in the field. I can't get that with Roadwolf or the van. Even if Roadwolf's weapons payload is immense, the trunk can still only carry so much."

"True. Plus this is a four-by-four. Ideal for winter driving. But does it have to be so big?"

"Nature of the vehicle, sweetie."

"Yeah, yeah." Pecking Sousuke on the cheek, Kaname opens the back doors and loads the bags. Smiling widely at the space, she climbs up into the back, commenting, "There's enough room to put a mattress in the back here if we want to go trail driving and sleep in the back here. Of course, who said anything about getting sleep in the back here?"

For a slight instant, Kaname could swear she feels the vehicle shudder. Losing her balance, she yelps as she falls backward out of the back. Only to be caught by Sousuke's arms.

"You okay, Kaname?"

"Yeah. It must have been an aftershock from an earthquake or something."

"Strange. I didn't feel the earth shift one bit. It's probably just jet lag affecting your legs and sense of balance."

"Yeah. Probably." Once Sousuke puts his bag into the back, the couple goes to the passenger side and Sousuke opens the door for her. "Hmm, thank you, Lieutenant."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

"I'll 'ma'am' you when we get home and check on Sousuke Jr."

Giggling at Sousuke's smirk as he closes the door, Kaname examines the passenger side of the dash. Her warm brown eyes then catch something she'd never seen before. A red face, composed mainly of squares. The face is friendly in appearance, if not slightly resembling Sousuke's face when he first got to Jindai High.

'Strange. It's almost as if it was made with Sousuke in mind.'

On his part, Sousuke opens the door, gets in and closes the door. When he gets a look at the steering wheel, he sees the same emblem Kaname had seen.

"Kaname, do you see a face on your side?"

"Red and made mostly of squares, resembling your sour face when you first arrived at Jindai High?"

"Affirmative."

"The same thing's over here, honey."

"Huh. Isn't that odd?"

"Yeah. Very odd. Well, crank it up, Sousuke. Let's see if it'll 'reject' us as well." As Sousuke turns the key, Kaname soon finds herself regretting her words. Before she can stop him, however, the engine starts with a roar and idles down to a contented-sounding rumble.

"So far, so good, Kaname." Seeing Sousuke strapping in prompts Kaname to do the same, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Yeah." Her smile taking on one of uncertainty, she mentally adds, 'For right now.' With that, Sousuke puts the mammoth vehicle into 'drive' and pulls it out of the lot.

Twenty minutes into the drive from Narita Airport, Kaname starts relaxing. Along the way, they come across a familiar woman walking toward a blue and red Subaru Impreza on a car sales lot.

As she walks toward her new vehicle, Eri Kagurazaka smiles in glee at the thought of driving her vehicle for the first time without it being dismantled by Sousuke Sagara. She still hadn't forgiven him for dismantling her previously brand new car. But she understood that as a Mithril warrior, he can leave nothing to chance. Next thing she knows, she sees a black Hummer station wagon with red striping on it pull alongside her. Along with a pair of familiar faces within the mammoth vehicle.

"Mr and Mrs Sagara. How was your honeymoon?"

"It was eventful, Miss Kagurazaka. Especially since Mithril business followed Sousuke somewhat during our time together."

"What? Mithril didn't let you have time to yourselves?"

"Not quite, Miss Kagurazaka. Mithril only got involved after learning of some disturbing aspects. Since I was the only asset they had moving toward the next leg, Kaname and I took the assignment. Plus, our son's well-being was threatened."

Miss Kagurazaka's eyes can't help but go wide in horror as she asks, "Is that why Tokiwa hadn't been answering her phone until the other week?"

"Yeah. Sousuke's 'Godfather' had the not-so-brilliant idea of going after Sousuke Jr."

"Your Godfather, Sagara?"

"Affirmative. It's a long story, teacher. Why don't you come along with us and we can tell you all about it."

"Sure. But, only on one condition." Waving her hand grandly over the Impreza, she says, "This car is not to be dismantled under any circumstances. Even if you see someone tampering with it." Noticing Kaname's eyes focused on a portion of the Impreza, Miss Kagurazaka asks, "Is something wrong, Mrs Sagara?" Her eyes going wide, she looks at the spot and asks, "Is it a dent you see?"

"No ma'am. It's just that the icon looks like the same thing we have on the Hummer's steering wheel." Coming over to see for herself, Miss Kagurazaka nods at the headroom before looking at the wheel herself.

"Huh. Now that's really strange, Mrs Sagara. What do you think it could be?"

"That is the question of the moment, Miss Kagurazaka. We can discuss it at our place."

"Oh, yes indeed. I have yet to see how well your little boy's grown since you two left on honeymoon." Curious about the Hummer, she then asks, "How'd you manage to wrangle this massive thing?" Shrugging, Kaname gives Sousuke a quick peck before replying.

"Yeah. We'd like to see how well Kyoko handled Sousuke Jr while we were out of town. As for the Hummer, it was waiting when we got there. The rental agency gave it to us and was greatly relieved from that point on. But, your car's a nice one, Miss Kagurazaka."

Miss Kagurazaka nods happily and replies, "Yes, plus it gets great gas mileage." She then gets into her Impreza and starts following the Hummer through the Tokyo streets into the Tamagawa district.

Twenty minutes later, they arrive at their apartment and see Roadwolf parked right outside. "Ah, home sweet home, Sousuke. With Roadwolf sitting right out front."

"Affirmative, Kaname. Shall we relieve Kyoko and Shinji from their babysitting duties?"

"Oh yes. I'm sure that Shinji and Kyoko will be thankful for the rest. It can't have been easy for them watching our son, Sousuke."

"Yeah."

"But I really think that Kyoko's looking forward to becoming a Mother when her time comes."

"In any case, I'm sure she'll be as good as you are, Kaname." Five minutes later, they open the door and walk inside, with Miss Kagurazaka right behind. As all three walk along the inner hallway, they hear footsteps running around. Like in a frenzied state. Smiling at each other before opening the door, they both take a deep breath and smile at each other once more.

Opening the door together, they say, "We're home." Instantly, they're swamped in a massive hug from Shinji and Kyoko with Kurz filming the entire thing. "Kurz, get that camera out of here!" Realizing they just spoke in sync again, they can only shake their heads and sigh while Kurz, Miss Kagurazaka, Shinji and Kyoko laugh.

Going over to Sousuke Jr's crib, a giggling Kyoko reaches down and picks up the now sleeping infant. "It's hard to believe that not loud noises can wake him up."

"What can I say? He gets it from his Father. He can sleep under any peaceful conditions and hardly be disturbed until a combat situation arises. Hopefully, he won't ever have to face it." Both young women share a giggle as Kyoko hands a sleeping Sousuke Jr over to his Mommy.

"Hi baby. Mommy and Daddy missed you. Yes we did. Yes we did." As she cradles Sousuke Jr against her bosom, she quietly asks, "Was he much trouble on the Island base?"

"Nope. He pretty much slept the whole time there. Of course, he did pee on Commander Mardukas by accident. It seems Sousuke Jr's diaper had fallen off somehow."

"Did Kurz happen to do diaper duty at that time?" As Kaname sends a glare toward Kurz as he's facing away from her, the blond sniper can't help but feel he's being targeted for a halisen attack. "I'll deal with your Uncle Kurz when Daddy and I get settled back in from our trip."

"Some time tonight I take it, Kaname?"

"You bet, Kyoko. What if Mardukas had decided to use Sousuke Jr for shark bait?"

"The Commander really wasn't that bad about it, Kaname. He just sternly spoke to Sousuke Jr as if he was talking with Sousuke Sr." Shinji can't help but gulp upon seeing the infant's parents turn around with a menacing glare pointed right at him. "That's the way it looked, guys!"

Miss Kagurazaka can't help but feel as if she's missing something. "Island base? Commander Mardukas? Sousuke Jr as shark bait?"

"The island base is Mithril's West Pacific Fleet base for the Tactical unit, Miss Kagurazaka. It's my home when I'm not in Japan or between missions when I'm there."

"I see. So, about your Godfather. What happened?" Miss Kagurazaka can't help but feel deep regret upon asking that question. For when they get done telling her, she can't help but say, "I think I'm going to be sick. Unethical experiments on innocent babies, your parents being murdered in cold blood by that madman. All so he can be immortal?"

"Yes, ma'am. But, his scheme more or less died with him. Along with his research."

"Good. That kind of research, this world can most certainly do without." Upon seeing Sousuke, Kaname, Kyoko, Shinji and Kurz all nodding in agreement, she gazes upon Sousuke Jr in Kaname's arms and can't help but smile warmly. "Can I hold him a bit?"

"Affirmative. We wouldn't have it any other way, Miss Kagurazaka." As Kaname hands Sousuke Jr over to their former teacher, Sousuke adds, "I can just see it now. Our little boy being taught by the best teacher we had the pleasure to learn from."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr Sagara. But I thank you for the compliment. I can only sincerely hope this young one here does not go through what you'd endured as a child."

"Yeah." Remembering the other item, he turns to Kurz and asks, "Any difficulties, Kurz?"

"Nope. Your parents have been repatriated and are now in their respective graves, Sousuke. Of course, the workers there raised a slight conniption fit until I told them they were being returned to their homeland after a decade of being buried elsewhere."

"I see. Thank you, Kurz."

"Hey, for you, Sousuke, it's no problem for me, man. You lost your parents way too early because some jackass wanted to live forever." Miss Kagurazaka can't help but nod in agreement with the blond sniper.

"Your friend has the right idea, Mr Sagara. Not many children go through what you did. Of course, most that don't either become useful citizens of society or those not to be around. I'm sure you'll become a useful member of society."

"Miss Kagurazaka's right, Sousuke. With Kaname and Sousuke Jr, you've got two good reasons to keep fighting the good fight." Kyoko can't help but be impressed by Shinji's statement. "I can only hope I turn out as cool as you did. Kick ass, man!" That night, the apartment is filled with mirth-filled laughter.

Their first night at home, after the laugh-fest had ended, goes by quietly and without incident. The next morning, Sousuke and Kaname wake up at the same time and Sousuke decides it's time to see his parents' completed graves. Quickly getting dressed, they then dress Sousuke Jr, go down to the street level and select Roadwolf to drive. Not noticing the Hummer shift in place before settling back down.

Upon arrival at the cemetery, the young couple sees a familiar mop of silvery-white hair and grit their teeth in frustration. For Sousuke's maternal grandmother, Kimiko Fujisaka, was at the recently-recovered gravesites. Even more, she's yelling at a hapless groundskeeper for the state the graves are in.

"I have never, in all my life, seen such casual disregard for sanctity of people's graves!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but, it's just like I said! I had nothing to do with it! I wasn't even here that evening!" Ms Fujisaka's so incensed, she starts hitting the groundskeeper with her umbrella.

"Don't give me that! How could you let them do this? To my own daughter's grave, no less!"

"It was at my request, Grandmother." At the sound of Sousuke's voice, Ms Fujisaka turns around and sees him standing with Kaname, who's holding Sousuke Jr in her arms. "I see you didn't mention Father so highly. Why am I not surprised?"

"Your Father was not one of us, Sousuke. Now, what was it you said about you requesting it?"

"I'd requested it be arranged discreetly through a contractor for them to be returned to Japan for reburial."

"Why? Don't you know you caused the Fujisaka name enough agony?"

"How is that my concern, Grandmother?"

"Your Uncle Ryu was incensed you hadn't checked in with us more often. Even more, when I told him you'd impregnated a young woman and intended to wed her, he had the gall to say you were just like Fumiko and that Keiko was happy with her choice in Fumiko." Looking at Kaname hatefully, she then asks, "Did he make an honest woman out of you yet, harlot?"

"HARLOT?" Handing Sousuke Jr over to his Father, Kaname runs right up to her, performs a roundhouse kick and nails the old woman in the head. "BAKA!"

As he watches his maternal Grandmother go down, he slightly turns Sousuke Jr and says, "That is why you should never disobey, disrespect or disappoint your Mommy, son." For an instant, he could swear he hears a giggle coming from the little boy. "Yeah, I know. I've done two of those quite often. The middle one only happened once."

As she gets up from the ground, Ms Fujisaka sees that Sousuke is just standing there, with Sousuke Jr in his arms, and yells, "Are you just going to stand there, holding your child, Sousuke? Your harlot just assaulted me!"

"She's not a harlot. And yeah. That's all I'm going to do. Well, aside from this." Turning to the groundskeeper, he says, "We can take it from here. Sorry about my Grandmother's behavior. It seems she's suffering from a bad case of rudeitus."

"Ah, I see. That would explain it." Giving Sousuke a nod, he walks away, saying, "I hope she gets that checked out. And that it's not contagious!"

Once he's gone, Sousuke turns toward the elderly woman, who's glaring at Kaname hatefully, with Kaname returning a stare of pity at the old woman. Next thing they know, two sets of claps sound from the grounds. The young couple sees the expression of shock on Kimiko's face and find themselves curious before turning around.

In sight are a sharply-dressed man and a well-dressed fifteen-year-old girl slightly identical to Sousuke. Which, to Kaname, is pretty bizarre. Given the girl has soft grey eyes and well-coiffed brown hair.

"Lovely form, dear girl. I can see why my nephew chose you to be his bride and Mother to his child." Stepping forward, the man says, "I'm Ryu Fujisaka, Keiko's elder brother. And this is Sakura Sagara, Sousuke's younger sister." Sousuke and Kaname can't help but unite their shock into one question.

"SISTER?"

The young lady, with looks similar mainly to Keiko, smiles as she steps toward the couple and admires the baby in Sousuke's arms. "Hi, little nephew. I'm your Auntie Sakura."

"But, I don't even recall having a sister." Sakura gives Sousuke a smile as she brushes her hand over his left cheek, wincing in sympathy.

"We were apart for far too long, dear brother. When Uncle Ryu said that Grandma told him you were still alive, I was in denial and filled with hope afterward. We went to your graduation at Jindai High and enjoyed your rendition of the '1812 Symphony'. The cannons were a nicely unique touch, but Uncle was stunned."

"I can't believe it. You used cannons at a graduation ceremony? Has all those years of combat killed your brain?"

"Ms Fujisaka, I suggest you not say anything more about that. Sousuke has always been Sousuke and I don't mind that one bit. He's my husband and I love him. Flaws and all."

"Oh please. You just love him because you like spreading for him."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a retort at all." Looking back at Sakura, she says, "I'm sorry it went like this, Sakura. We just got back from our honeymoon and Sousuke's familial duty of retrieving the bodies."

"You brought them home, Sousuke?"

"Affirmative. The both of us did, with help from my 'brother' who arranged for their burial here." Next thing Sousuke knows, Sakura wraps him in a sisterly hug, careful to not press into her infant nephew, before starting to sob.

"Thank you, brother." Looking up at him before smiling, she adds, "We've got a lot of catching up to do, Sousuke. I want to know where you've been, what you've done, whom you'd met along the way. Everything." Turning toward the graves, she adds, "You may want to go first, Sousuke. After all, you were the firstborn and you did your duty to Mother and Father."

"Roger." Turning to Kaname, he sees her shedding tears and asks, "Shall we, Kaname?"

"Yeah." Smiling happily now, Kaname links her arm with Sousuke's as they turn toward the now-occupied graves. "Take as long as you need." Sousuke nods as he hands Sousuke Jr over to her.

"You're back home now, Mom and Dad. You've been avenged and you can now rest easy. Hangi Oshimura will not harm or threaten anyone else ever again." Upon hearing Kaname giggle, he turns back toward her. And sees Sousuke Jr squirm in her arms. Smiling at the sight, Sousuke turns back to the graves, grins and adds, "Grandkids, Mom and Dad. The first of many sure to come."

"Sousuke." Blushing rosily, Kaname gives her husband a peck before turning to see Ms Fujisaka with an angry expression on her face. "Ms Fujisaka?"

"How dare your husband defame Hangi's good name, Miss Chidori?"

"It's not Chidori anymore, Ms Fujisaka. It's Chidori-Sagara now. As for defaming, don't even get us started on that madman. He's the one that killed Sous-kun's parents. The Soviet soldiers were innocent."

"And how would you know that?"

"We went to Moscow and spoke with one of the witnesses that Sousuke had asked his foster Father about."

"How do you know the Soviet wasn't lying? They all lie."

"The man I look up to as a Father figure would not bother lying to me, Grandmother. Especially if my life's going to be on the line. Yeah, sure, he may hedge on details at times, but it's mainly because I have no need to know about details at times."

"What kind of life are you living, brother?"

"A life I hope you never have to live, Sakura. That's all I can safely say until we get ourselves reestablished as siblings. Okay?" Sakura gives a nod and one more hug before playing with Sousuke Jr. As he turns toward his 'Uncle', he sees the man smiling softly at the interaction. "Why is it I don't recall her or you, 'Uncle' Ryu?"

"It's like she said. You two had been too far apart for far too long."

"Then why didn't she go with Sousuke and their parents to Afghanistan?"

"At that time, Sakura was five and sick. Keiko didn't think it'd be a good idea for her to go along, Kaname. So, she asked me to watch over Sakura until they all had returned a year later." Giving his nephew a sad look, he goes on.

"I was the only one in the family willing to speak with Keiko and accept your Father, Sousuke. When your parents were reported dead by Mr Oshimura, with you presumed dead, I had little alternative but to raise Sakura as my own. Her own cousins accepted and supported her as another sibling. But, one day, years later, Mother had called me in an excited voice."

"Telling you that Sousuke was alive and about to become a Father."

"Yes, Kaname. But she didn't give many details as to how he managed to stay alive all those years. Let alone how he made his way back to Japan. When I pressed her for more information, she told me that I wouldn't believe her if she told me. That it'd have to be Sousuke and you I spoke to."

"Okay, but why me? You could have spoken with Sousuke before he could trust you fully."

"Which is why I chose to speak with you both. Sakura and I had intended to speak with you at your graduation, but your rendition of the '1812 Symphony', along with the presence of your friends, prompted me to delay our conversation. Until the two of you were alone and that was before you left on your honeymoon."

Shrugging, he goes on. "I wasn't about to disturb you two during your special time. Neither was Sakura. So, we thought we'd wait until you two had returned. Then, this morning, about fifty minutes ago, Mother had called, saying the graves had been disturbed. Of course, she only said Keiko's grave had been disturbed, with no mention of Fumiko's at all. So, I got Sakura up, expecting we'd have difficulties."

"Only you were surprised to see that we were here." Sousuke's conclusion has Ryu and Sakura smiling happily. "Well, it seems plausible enough. But, I'm still not convinced. Would you two be willing to submit to a DNA test to prove relations with me?" Sakura opens her mouth to object, but Ryu stops her.

"He's got a point, Sakura. You two were far apart for a long time, after all. It's only natural for him to be untrusting at first. Once it's proven, he can start trusting. Somewhat, perhaps. But it'll be something akin to trust until he gets to know us all." Sakura considers it before nodding, happy tears coming down.

"Okay, Sousuke. We'll do the test and prove we're related. I just hope you don't react like those other guys do on that one show that has tests done all the time just about." Kaname can't help but giggle lightly at Sakura's words.

"Um, Sakura, those are paternity tests and those that act that way were suspected to be Fathers by the babies' Mothers." Sakura can only sweat heavily at that particular thought. "Looks like she shares one trait with you so far, Sousuke. She sweats like a rainstorm."

"Just a coincidence. It's not a problem." Giving Sakura and Ryu a nod, Sousuke says, "We'll let you two speak with them in private. We have to get back home for Sousuke Jr's nap."

"Okay. When do you want to do the tests, brother?"

"Tomorrow, when we don't have Sousuke Jr with us. Miss Kagurazaka had expressed interest in watching over him while Kaname and I are out grocery shopping together, anyway. We could do it before we go shopping." Ryu gives Sousuke a nod while Sakura giggles.

"Okay, Sousuke. See you at the Hospital tomorrow."

"Understood. See you tomorrow, Mr Fujisaka, 'sibling'." As the couple walks away, Sakura turns toward Ryu.

"Why can't he believe us, Uncle?"

"It's because he's a fool, like your Father was, Sakura. Your Mother was an even bigger fool. Sousuke and Kaname don't know what they're talking about at all when it comes to Hangi. He was a good man, wealthy and just perfect for Keiko."

"I think that Keiko should have had the right to choose for herself to begin with. When she met Fumiko, she was quite ecstatic, Mother. Isn't that what a Mother should want for her daughter? Happiness? Or is wealth all you can think of when it comes to suitability?"

"That does not pertain to what they said about Hangi at all."

"If you think it's true, Grandmother, then you're far more dumber than I thought." Sakura smirks at Ms Fujisaka's stunned expression before turning to the headstones. "Welcome home, Mom and Dad. Sousuke had grown well, but he doesn't remember me at all. But he'll see that he does have a sister and he can tell me about all his adventures. And, I can watch over my baby nephew when they want or need me to."

Her eyes starting to drip tears, she adds, "I missed you both so much and I still do. Uncle Ryu misses you the most, Mom. But, I know you're watching over us, like you're watching over Sousuke. I'll come by when I can." Giving both stones a bow, she says, "See you later, Mom and Dad."

As the couple walks back to Roadwolf, Kaname looks back at the trio and says, "If those two are phonies, it's a good acting job, Sousuke."

"Indeed. Sakura's very well-mannered, meaning she'd gone to a private school with a strict disciplinary system. Yet, she chose to dress like she wasn't looking for success."

"So, what do you hope?"

"I'm not quite sure, Kaname. On one hand, I hope it's true and feel it is. On the other, if it's false, then I have all the family I could need with you and Sousuke Jr."

"What about Mithril?"

"Lately, Mithril's been my work. At first, it was a surrogate family of sorts toward me. Then we wound up in all kinds of situations together. Kurz and Melissa are great comrades and there is a kinship that's formed under firefight conditions. They and the Lieutenant Commander were the closest thing I had to a family."

Looking at Kaname, with Sousuke Jr in his arms, he adds, "When we got together, had Sousuke Jr and got married, I felt like the luckiest soldier in the world. Like I'd just barely avoided stepping on an anti-armor/personnel land mine."

Kaname can't help but giggle in hilarity as Sousuke puts Sousuke Jr into the seat placed into Roadwolf when Kurz had returned to Merida Island after putting it into the car.

'Only Sousuke can equate happiness with military talk!' Admiring the job Kurz had done, Kaname can't help but remark, "For a pervert, he did a good job on the child safety seat."

"Affirmative. Should his time come, I'm sure Sergeant Weber will prove to be a formidable parent."

"Yeah, yeah. I just hope any kids he creates don't turn out like he did."

"Perverted sniper, regular pervert or regular sniper?"

"I'd have to say perverted sniper. Regular sniper's one thing. Much like a regular pervert's one thing. A perverted sniper is another matter entirely."

"True." Shrugging, he then says, "In any case, the results of the test will reveal if their claims of relations are true or not. It's a pity I don't have access to Mithril medical equipment, where we could get an answer in minutes to an hour. But the test available to the public takes something like a week to process fully."

"Is that frustrated anticipation I hear in your voice, Sousuke?"

"Affirmative." Snapping his fingers, he adds, "Chances are, our van's still at Jindai High. Shall we go pick it up?"

"Yep. You bet."

With that, the young couple gets into Roadwolf and drive away from the cemetery, barely catching a glimpse of a desert tan Humvee being driven by a young African-American female. Had they gotten a good enough look, they'd have seen the left portion of the front bumper has an emblem similar to that on the Hummer back at their place.

When they get to Jindai High, they see the van is still there, along with shaving cream having been sprayed onto it, spelling out the words, 'Welcome back, Sagaras!' The young couple can't help but chuckle in amusement as Kaname exits Roadwolf and goes to the van, getting into the driver's seat.

When they get the van home, they decide to go ahead and wash it off, hoping the shaving cream hadn't been on the van for very long. Sure enough, with each spray of water, the foamy cream just dissipates and moves down the van's body. Kaname soon gets a wicked urge and goes with it.

Taking the bucket, she hurls the water within toward Sousuke and it splashes onto him. Drenching him thoroughly. In turn, he takes the hose he's using and splashes Kaname right back. Kaname's giggles and yelps, combined with Sousuke's own laughter, draw the attention of their neighbors. As the neighbors peer down at the young couple splashing each other silly, they can't help but laugh in amusement. Not even noticing the Hummer parked down below barely shuddering.

The next day, things are going poorly for the couple. First, Miss Kagurazaka had gotten sick, so she couldn't watch over Sousuke Jr. Second, something had flipped Roadwolf over onto it's roof and flattened the van's tires, causing Sousuke and Kaname to use the Hummer. Sousuke had some difficulty getting the seat out of the car, but managed to do so. Third, Kyoko and Shinji had a prior engagement. One that couldn't be interrupted at all.

Leaving the couple little alternative but to ask Sakura to watch over Sousuke Jr after the test samples had been collected. Much to their relief, Sakura ecstatically accepted the responsibility, citing, 'It's time for Auntie Sakura to watch her first nephew'.

Kaname sighs softly as she watches the Tokyo city sights go past the vehicle. Until she feels the Hummer jerk in a different direction.

"Easy Sousuke. I don't want our baby to still be waiting for us, only for him to be told we died in a crash while grocery shopping."

"Kaname, I don't know how to tell you this, so you may want to look at me and see what I'm doing." Expecting him to be making a dirty face at that moment, she starts making one as she turns. Only for her jaw to drop upon seeing Sousuke with neither hand on the wheel and the wheel turning by itself.

"Sousuke, if you're not driving, then who the Hell is?"

"It'd be the Hummer, Kaname."

"Okay. Why?"

"I don't know, honey. But it seems to know where it's taking us."

"What do we do, Sous-kun?"

"For now, all we can do is hope we get to where we're going without any difficulties."

Fifteen minutes later, the Hummer reaches an abandoned piece of property and goes in, seemingly ignoring the warning signs. Signs warning of 'Condemnation by order of the Japanese Government' and 'No trespassing'. Next thing they know, the vehicle stops and they exit. Once they'd done so, it shuts it's engine off.

"What's wrong with you, _baka_ Hummer? You drive us to an abandoned factory and shut your engine off when we step outside? You've got a lot of nerve, buddy!" Slapping herself in the forehead, she then mutters, "Terrific. I'm acting like a crazed goofball now. Talking to a vehicle like I expect for it to talk back to me."

Taking his Glock out of his holster, Sousuke primes it upon hearing a group of engines approaching. What he sees is a blue Peterbilt 379 conventional tractor with red flames and blue lights adorning the front sides, the front bumper and above it's windshield. What gets his attention most of all is the face at the top of the grill. The same face that's on the steering wheel in the Hummer.

Coming up right beside the parked Hummer is a yellow Search and Rescue Hummer H2, a yellow and black-striped Chevrolet Camaro that looks too new to be believed and a black GMC Topkick. Joining the vehicles are a black 90's model Chevrolet Camaro, a green four-door Jeep Wrangler, a blue Chevrolet Corvette, a white Ford Mustang GT with blue stripes, a red Lamborghini Diablo, a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo, an NYPD Dodge Charger, a Lamborghini Countach 5000 in NYSP colors and a black and white Saleen Mustang Police car. Along with a familiar-looking red and blue Subaru Impreza.

"Okay. I'm interested."

Kaname, on the other hand, doesn't quite share Sousuke's sentiment. Instead, she's frightened, annoyed and getting angry about the whole thing. Before she can tear into him, however, something happens to change her opinion. Drastically.

As the Peterbilt begins transforming, the other vehicles that arrived with it begin transforming as well after their passengers step out of them. As the two watch the transformation, Sousuke quickly estimates it to be roughly the size of Arbalest. If not somewhat exceeding Arbalest's height. Once it's fully transformed, it kneels forward and gazes upon the couple. Both teens can see it has blue eyes and a compassionate face. In English, it begins it's greeting.

**"Are you Sousuke Sagara, Lieutenant of Mithril?"**

"Affirmative." Kaname can only gaze in shock, envious at how he can keep his voice completely level.

**"I am Optimus Prime. We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron."**

**"But you can call us Autobots for short."** The two teens turn at the voice and see the Search and Rescue Hummer-turned robot waving at them.

**"My second in command and our Medical Officer, Ratchet."**

Ratchet sniffs the air, smiles and says, **"Their pheromone levels indicate they want to mate with each other and do so on a frequent basis. Much as our two ****other ****sets of young friends do."**

"HENTAI!" Kaname is roiling mad until she hears two sets of feminine giggles. "Okay, come on out here so I can give you both knuckle sandwiches!"

"Is that any way to greet one of your husband's newest comrades, Mrs Sagara?"

Recalling who'd just spoken, Kaname elects to use the public name for that particular voice. "Mei? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the States on your honeymoon?"

"I'll tell you later. It's a long story. Same with Mikaela here."

Pleased the interruption, however justified it be, was over, Optimus continues.** "Our weapons specialist, Ironhide." **As they turn toward Ironhide, they see that he's the Topkick. He then swings his arms forward, causing his cannons to swivel around.

**"Feeling lucky, Mithril punk?"**

**"Easy, Ironhide."**

**"****Just kidding. ****I was just showing him and her my cannons."**

**"Our scout, Bumblebee."** Looking at the indicated Autobot, they can see the mechanoid and his companion. As it speaks, the voice is rough, but steady.

**"How's it going, folks?"** Kaname can't help but be horrified at how brutally rough the Autobot's voice sounds.

"What happened to you?"

**"His vocal processors were damaged in battle against Megatron**** many eons ago****. The Allspark managed to repair the damage for the most part. In time, as he practices, Bumblebee's vocal processors will be back to normal."** Ratchet's reply reassures Kaname.

Smiling at Bumblebee, she says, "Keep at it, big guy."

**"I will."**

**"Our Security Officer, Red Alert."** Both teens turn toward Optimus' indicated direction and sees the NYSP Countach-turned robot waving at them. With a human female doing the same.

**"How's it going, young couple?"**

**"Moving on. Our scientist, Wheeljack."**

Both teens turn and see two things. The white GT turned-robot has no mouth, but the sides of it's head light up as it speaks. The other thing is the sharp-dressed young man that's staring in shock at the tall mechanoid beside him.

**"Hey, got any technology for me to analyze?"**

**"Whatever you do, don't let him near the oven!"** The tinny voice from Bumblebee has Kaname puzzled until Sousuke figures it out.

"He's prone to things exploding, I take it?" Applause and cheers come from Bumblebee's radio as the mechanoid had opted to exercise the processors gradually. "I see. That must be what everyone feels like when I do one of my detonations."

**"Our resident ****twin ****troublemakers, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe."**

**"What's cracking, little bitches?"** The red mechanoid gives them a nod while the yellow one looks around before chiming in.

**"This looks like a cool place to kick it."** Their owners, well-dressed young men like the Mustang's owner, can't help but let their eyes go wide at the sight before them. Rolling his optics, Ratchet turns toward the twins.

**"That's what Jazz had said when he first arrived on Earth."**

**"Hey, where is Jazz at anyway, Ratchet?"**

**"Later, Sideswipe. Go ahead, Optimus."**

**"****Thank you, Sunstreaker. ****Our escape specialist, Smokescreen."** The black Camaro-turned robot waves before turning to it's passengers.

**"Sorry, but I couldn't blow cover. 'Shadow Runner' was a cool appellation, though. Points for style, Richard."** The man, dressed in an NYPD uniform, can only nod as the female smiles up at the mechanoid.

"Smokescreen, 'Shadow Runner', it doesn't really matter. Just bring Richard home to me safely."

**"I'll do what I can, Cynthia. But I won't be able to be around him all the time."** Looking down at himself, he adds, **"It's not like my alt mode would be suitable for racing to incident scenes."**

"Couldn't you change your look? Maybe take on the Charger's appearance?"

**"Somehow, I don't think Prowl would like that very much."** Almost as if on cue, the Charger waves at the couple, who then notice that no one's with it.

**"I can take care of your human for you while he's on duty, Cynthia.** **That way, when he gets off of duty, Smokescreen**** wi****ll be able to watch over him."**

**"Moving on, our surveillance ****and hologram ****expert, Hound."**

**"Hello, y'all!"** Sousuke and Kaname both turn toward the voice and see the Wrangler-turned robot's waving at them.

**"Our resident pretty boy, Tracks."**

**"Is that really fair, Optimus? Beauty is only as far as the chassis. And I've got it."**

Shaking his head in exasperation over the Corvette's vain antics, Optimus asks, **"See what I mean?"**

Nodding in agreement, Sousuke replies, "The issue of vanity can be troublesome. Especially in the field of battle. Most of the time, it gets people killed while doing everyday tasks such as driving. But, this would have to be the first time I came across a car that's vain."

**"Ouch! He got you good there, Tracks!"**

**"Oh hush, Prowl! He's just jealous because I make combat look good!"**

**"My Second Lieutenant, Cliffjumper."** When they turn around, they see Miss Kagurazaka staring myopically at the Impreza-turned robot, her lips moving but not very legibly. Instead, they're moving rapidly like she's gibbering.

**"Uh-oh, she's gonna blow!"** Cliffjumper's voice snaps the teacher out of it in the nick of time for her to turn her head and vomit in another direction before running off in shame.

"Teacher!" As Kaname races over to beside Miss Kagurazaka, Sousuke notices the Saleen-turned-robot is looking intently at him. With red, maliciously-hateful optics.

"I take it you're with a different faction."

**"Brilliant deduction, fleshling. How could you ever tell?"**

"Your eyes. They're not like the others are. Yet, I'm sure there's a pretty good explanation as to why you're here now."

**"You bet there is!"** Slamming it's fist down to beside an unflinching Sousuke, it bellows out, **"Where is Frenzy? Where is Amalgam? Talk or I'll tear you apart, Mithril**** fleshling****!"**

**"Barricade, stand down!"** As the robot looks up at Ironhide's voice, it can see that Ironhide clearly has the advantage. Seeing as Ironhide's cannons are out again and aimed right at the mechanoid. **"I'm not going to say it again, Barricade."**

Barricade considers the ultimatum and backs down after giving Sousuke one last glare of malice. **"Sorry about Barricade, Lieutenant. He's going through a crisis and wants a quick resolution so he can move on in his existence."**

"It's not a problem, Barricade. I've been there a few times myself."

On the Tokyo city streets, through the district of Sengawa, a desert tan Humvee and an Abrams in the same color are rolling along to get to their destination. But are soon stopped by a field sobriety checkpoint manned by only one Officer.

"Oh, man. Of all the times for one to pop up, this has to be now."

**"Why, Alison? You don't ****even ****drink."**

"I know that, you know that and Warpath knows that, Brawn. But I seriously doubt the Officer knows that. Let alone cares." When their turn comes up, Alison adds, "I just hope the Officer buys what I say."

"Field sobriety checkpoint, soldier." Alison looks up and can't help but feel intimidated by the Officer in front of her. Producing a familiar box, the Officer says, "Blow into the tube, please."

"Yes, Officer." Complying with the Officer's instruction, Alison blows into the tube and stops when she's told to. What she hears next relieves her greatly. Along with slightly annoys.

"You're clean, soldier. Not much of a drinker, I take it?"

"Correct, Officer. I don't even touch the stuff."

"Good, good. You'll stay healthier that way." Looking toward the Abrams right behind the Humvee, the Officer asks, "Transferring the tank to another post nearby here?"

"Yes, Officer."

"Okay, I'm going to need to see the driver of the tank to have him tested as well."

"I'm terribly sorry, Officer, but the driver's very, very shy. Warpath doesn't even drink himself."

"The tank's operator is named 'Warpath'? His Mother must not have liked him or something."

"Nah, it's just a name they hung on him in 'Tanker's Training'. He favored firing the main gun going into battle so much, the path would become one of war. So, 'Warpath' became a nickname for him."

"I see. Well, shy or not, Mr 'Warpath' needs to be tested. One way or another, 'Warpath' will be tested." Giving Alison a massive grin, the Officer then walks toward the Abrams and gets onto it. "Mr 'Warpath', this is an official Police order! You are to submit to a field sobriety test!" A human-sounding voice from within the tank is audible as Warpath gives his reply.

"Sorry, no can do! I don't even drink! Can't you take my word for it? Sha-bang!"

"I'm afraid not! So, either open the hatch or I'll do it for you!" Still grinning, the Officer sarcastically adds, "Sha-bang!" When the hatch doesn't move, the Officer then says, "Okay, then. Here goes!" Starting to lift on the hatch, the Officer groans with massive effort as the hatch holds solid. "You got a lock on in there or something, Mr 'Warpath'? If you do, you need to unlock it!"

Next thing the Officer knows, the hatch opens, causing the Officer to lose balance and fall into the tank. With the hatch closing right on the Officer as it begins rolling along the now-unmanned checkpoint. As the drive resumes, Alison can't help but shake in fear with the thought of them now becoming 'Police Abductors'. Brawn's voice soon cuts through to her.

**"The way the Officer smiled reminds me an awful lot of Megatron's. Only the Officer was much scarier than Megatron."**

"I know, Brawn, but I still can't help but feel bad for taking part in an abduction of a Police Officer."

**"Not to worry. The Officer will come to no harm at all. Who knows? The Officer might prove handy to have as company."**

Meanwhile, back at the meeting site at the time of the incident, Kaname is helping Miss Kagurazaka back over to the others, saying, "Don't worry, Miss Kagurazaka. We'll get you some water in a bit so you can rinse your mouth out."

"Thank you, Kaname. I'm sorry I was such an embarrassment just now."

"Nah, don't worry about it. What you did was a normal reaction for an unexpected event in your life."

"True. But, you couldn't have seen this coming, though."

"Miss Kagurazaka, I'm married to a teenage mercenary that pilots huge robots in battle against terrorists and we have a son together. If I can handle Sousuke, I can handle beings from another planet."

Hearing her, Optimus says,** "****That's very good, Mrs Sagara. As ****I see you've ****both ****met your protector, Trailblazer."**

Upon hearing the sounds of transformation behind them, Sousuke and Kaname turn back to see their Hummer turn into a blue-eyed robot. A pissed off one at that.

**"It's good to see you again, sir."**

**"Likewise, Trailblazer."** Noticing him scowling down at the young couple, Optimus asks, **"Is something wrong, Trailblazer?"**

**"Yes sir. Mrs Sagara proposed putting a mattress in my rear compartment for their carnal activities.**** Horny little bags of meat. Lieutenant Sagara, he seems to think I'm like I****ronhide. Wanting to load as much**** munitions as possible into my back compartment.**** Even more, they could have used me yesterday instead of that 'car'.**** On top of that, she called me an idiot, sir.****"**

'So he's the something that flipped Roadwolf over and flattened the van's tires.' Clearing his throat, Sousuke says, "That 'car' was a wedding and graduation present to us from a brilliant man that designed mobile weapons platforms. As the van that had it's tires flattened was a gift from my superiors in Mithril upon our nuptials. Both had seen us through quite a good deal of excitement. I take it you were jealous of them?"

**"I do not suffer from human afflictions of that nature.**** Much like I don't share your proclivity of being heavily armed at all times. Ironhide, yes. Myself, no.****"**

Deeply amused by Trailblazer's prior comments, Miss Kagurazaka says, "I'd like to speak with you further on that subject, Trailblazer. As someone that had seized weaponry from Sagara on a frequent basis, I can tell you a few horror stories. All starring him."

**"I look forward to it, Miss Kagurazaka.**** I'm sure I can tell you some regarding Ironhide.****"** Turning toward Optimus, he asks,**"****Are you sure he's a Lieutenant, sir? He doesn't seem to be like Jazz was."**

"Who's Jazz? For that matter, why isn't he here?"

**"We lost Jazz in battle against Megatron in Mission City****, Mrs Sagara****. Megatron tore him in half. He never stood a chance against that brute."** The sadness in Optimus' voice has Kaname feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry, sir."

**"No need to apologize, Mrs Sagara. There was no way you could have known about our comrade's fate."** Gesturing to the other humans with them, Optimus goes on. **"****Your husband just met our temporary ally, Barricade. He's with the Decepticons. ****I see you already know Tony and Mei Reynolds. They're staying with Captain Lennox, who's standing beside Ironhide right now."**

"So, you're the one piloting the AS that took down Scorponok." Lennox gives Sousuke an appraising gaze and adds, "Not half bad, kid. Not half bad at all." Both teens turn to each other before asking at the same time.

"Scorponok?" Ironhide nods before explaining further.

**"Yes. That Decepticon was responsible for many Autobots losing their sparks in battle and even before the war that ravaged Cybertron.**** He even caused some human sparks to be extinguished when he attacked PFC Reynolds' Patrol convoy and Captain Lennox's group of survivors.****"** Lennox steps forward and sticks out his hand to Sousuke.

"I promised myself that if I ever met the man that brought that mechanical menace down, I'd shake his hand and write him up for a commendation. No matter what organization he's with."

"I'll accept the handshake, but I must decline the commendation. I don't do this to be recognized. Heck, I don't do it for recognition period. Mithril is a shadow op, operating in secrecy." Giving Kaname a grin, he adds, "You may want to write her up for one, though. She may be a civilian, but she did save Mei's life before she even became Mei." Slowly backing away from her, in order to avoid incurring the young beauty's wrath, he chortles out, "She just may get a kick out of the whole thing."

"SOUSUKE!" Before he can get too far away, Kaname turns around and jumps onto him, latching her legs and arms around him as she knocks him down. "Where do you think you're going, Sousuke?"

"Nowhere."

Giving him a sensual kiss, she replies, "Good answer, soldier. Now, give me some sugar." In the background as she claims another kiss from Sousuke, Bumblebee can't help but play a certain song on his radio. Causing the couple to blush beet red.

**"Bumblebee, don't give them any ideas. I don't want them doing their carnal experiments inside me when I'm transformed!**** Or even in front of me!****"**

Trailblazer's voice has the other Autobots, save for Optimus, Trailblazer, Barricade and Ironhide, to burst out laughing. It doesn't stop the other humans from laughing, though. Lennox can't help but muse thoughtfully.

"I wonder if Sarah would like that." As Optimus shakes his head in annoyance, he looks over and sees a snickering Ratchet.

**"You just had to bring up their pheromone levels**** earlier****, didn't you?"**

**"Just staying current with my observations of this planet's dominant species, sir."**

**"You need another hobby, Ratchet."**

**"I've got one. It's called 'Have fun at everyone's expense'.**** Consider it my tribute to Jazz."**

Sighing in exasperation, Optimus asks, **"Couldn't you have found a more suitable method of doing a tribute to Jazz?"**

**"Sir, he was high on life. In fact, he ran the franchise of it. Without him around, someone has to pick up the slack."**

**"We'll discuss that later. For now, we've got business to discuss."** That whole sentence alone gets everyone else's attention. **"Lieutenant and Mrs Sagara, if you could disentangle yourselves, we can finish introductions before getting to the heart of the matter."** Once both of them have done so, Optimus nods and goes on.

**"Bumblebee's friends, Sam Witwicky and his girlfriend, Mikaela Banes."** Both teens see a young Caucasian man with close-cropped brown hair and a young Hispanic woman with long brown hair. Once they both wave 'hi', Optimus finishes. **"With Ratchet is Daniel Simp****s****on****, a highly-skilled EMT."**

Daniel, a young Caucasian man, looks to be about Tessa's age, with blond hair and green eyes. "Hey, how's it going?"

"It's going well."

With that, Sousuke and Daniel talk medical procedures in the field, particularly Daniel's unfamiliarity with gunshot wounds and treatment methods. While they discuss it, Kaname slowly walks up to Optimus as he continues the introductions.

**"Hound's partner, Johnny Garfunkle. Tracks' partner, Kevin Garfunkle. Wheeljack's partner, Bobby Garfunkle. Sideswipe's partner****, Howard Garfunkle. Sunstreaker's partner, Stephen Garfunkle."**

"Boy. That's a lot of Garfunkles. Are they brothers or something?"

"They are brothers, Mrs Sagara. My brothers, in fact." Kaname turns toward the woman Smokescreen had called Cynthia and bows to her. Much to Kaname's surprise, Cynthia returns the gesture. "Cynthia Garfunkle-Reese. The NYPD Officer is my husband, Richard. He's Captain of the NYPD's ESU."

**"Since you already know Cliffjumper's partner, over there is Red Alert and his partner, New York State Trooper Michelle Hubertson."** At the sounding of Michelle's last name, both Stephen and Howard's faces take on a look of glee before Stephen's phone rings.

"Stephen."

_"Where are you? I've been worried to death! Where's Howard at?"_

"Mother, we're fine. Somehow, we wound up in Japan. All of us. Including Cynthia and Richard."

_"JAPAN? HOW OR WHY ARE YOU WAY OVER THERE FOR?"_

"Mother, if I could, I'd tell you. But, I'll put it to you like this. You'd have to see it to believe it."

As Stephen talks on his phone, Kaname rubs her forehead in exasperation, muttering, "Jeez, and I thought Sousuke was a handful." Returning her attention to Optimus, she asks, "Why are you here? And where's your partner at?"

**"To**** answer your second**** question****, I have no partner. I tend to scare people off at times when they find out what I really am."**

"Don't let it get you down. I'm sure a rare personality like yours would find someone tolerant and friendly."

**"I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Mrs Sagara. To answer your first question, I'll let Mei Ling tell you. Mei?"**

"As you're undoubtedly unaware, a man died recently in New York City. He was a highly-respected business man, big on charities. However, that was only his public façade. In private, he was Amalgam's Mr Gold." Those words alone are enough to give both Sousuke and Kaname pause.

Kaname breaks the silence to ask, "Isn't that a good thing? After all, no Mr Gold, no more Amalgam. Happy ending for all."

"In an ideal world, such optimism would pay off. However, it seems Mr Garfunkle didn't die without choosing a successor." The name can't help but peak Sousuke's curiosity.

"Garfunkle? As in Simon Garfunkle? He was Mr Gold?"

"Yes, sir. He avoided my judgment in death."

After giving a minute's worth of thought, he asks, "Mei, any idea as to how he died?"

"He died of natural causes at 120 years of age." Frowning, she adds, "He managed to escape the Court system, but I'm sure some higher power will send him to his proper place." By this time, Stephen had finished talking to Lisa and ended the call in time to hear Mei's comments about the family patriarch and finds himself furious.

"How dare you? I could sue you for defaming Father's character, you know!" Looking over toward his brothers and sister, he goes on. "Did you hear what that little China-girl said about our Father? She slandered his good name! He's only been dead for under a week and she's making up bullshit stories about him!"

"You're wrong, Stephen!" In shock, Stephen gapes openly at Kevin.

"I don't believe it, Kev! Are you taking her side over family's? Father ain't gonna like this, you know!"

"It doesn't matter what Pop likes or doesn't like. She speaks the truth."

"What? That's bullshit right there! If Dad was a terrorist supporter, we'd certainly know about it." Kevin gives Bobby a sad headshake of 'no'. "Kevin?"

"None of us knew. Not even Mother, Bobby."

"How'd you find out, Kevin?" Turning at Cynthia's gentle voice, Kevin gives his elder sister a shuddering sigh before replying.

"I accidentally overheard him at the door to Pop's study. He was telling some guy that you and Richard were off limits. He also said something about Amalgam and the Sho-Da-Kah. Something about Amalgam taking all of the Sho-Da-Kah's other operations under Amalgam control."

"So, all our property was bought and paid for with blood money? The mansion, our educations, our cars? Everything?"

"It would seem so, Johnny." Johnny can only ponder it before muttering.

"Well, that's just frickin' peachy."

In the background, Howard is shuddering in anger before he turns toward Sideswipe. "Sideswipe, when we get back to New York, whenever that may be, remind me to visit Father's memorial to urinate onto his memorial stone."

**"You got it, Howard."** Howard nods in approval before turning back toward Richard and growls.

"You. You drove him to that point, flatfoot!"

"Howard, stop acting like a damned brain donor!" A stunned Howard can only gape at Cynthia's voice. "Didn't you hear what Johnny and Kevin figured? This was long before Richard or maybe even us came into the picture." Turning over toward Mei, she goes on. "We should at least listen to her story. Because unless I miss my guess, she'd suffered at Daddy's hands as well."

"You're correct, Cynthia Garfunkle-Reese. The village my late sister and I lived in was destroyed in a civil war instigated by Amalgam. Mr Gold, your Father, was there. He was smiling as people were slaughtered. Men, women, children, elderly. None was, supposedly, spared from the onslaught. Only a mistake had been made. My sister and I were the only survivors. Your Father was immensely pleased with the end result." Stephen is still incredulous as he turns toward Mei.

"Then why not sue him and this Amalgam bunch?"

"Officially, Amalgam does not exist at all." The Garfunkles and everyone else turn toward a young Japanese man with an x-shaped scar across his left cheek and an attractive young Japanese woman with blue hair right beside him.

"However, just because something supposedly does not exist does not make it any less dangerous. These are people with massive influence and large reach. Much like the Sho-Da-Kah. But with a difference." Scornfully, Stephen turns his nose up at the young man before speaking haughtily.

"What might that be? The names?"

"Negative. The Sho-Da-Kah is fairly adept at using terrorist tactics to commit their crimes, but they're also quite mediocre. Amalgam, on the other hand, does not suffer from mediocrity within it's ranks. In a way, it's Mithril's mirror-image opposite." Her eyes blinking in confusion, Cynthia steps toward the young man and regards his x-shaped scar.

"That must have been painful for you to endure."

"I've endured far worse in the past, Mrs Reese. It's not a problem."

"I see. So, what's Mithril?"

"Mithril's a mercenary force with no national ties, intent on protecting the world from brain donors like Amalgam or other organizations like them. Sousuke's been with Mithril for a while now. He's the best protector a young woman like me could ever be fortunate enough to meet. Or fall in love with."

"Ah, so you're his damsel in distress."

"Ah, not quite like that, but close enough. Sousuke's like a knight in his own way, but he has his own interesting ways of doing things." While Kaname, Sousuke and Cynthia discuss Mithril, Mei looks over and sees Optimus scanning around. Curious, she walks over to the massive Cybertronian warrior.

"Is something wrong, Optimus?"

**"Yes, Mei. Warpath, Brawn and their human partner have not arrived yet. I grow worried."** Before Mei can reassure the mechanoid, she sees the Autobot leader's mouth turn upwards into a grin. **"They're**** now**** approaching, Mei."** Sure enough, an Abrams tank and an armored Humvee, both in desert tan, pull into the warehouse.

When they stop, a young woman steps out of the Humvee before both transform. When they're done, one of them, the Abrams, picks up the young woman and puts her onto it's shoulder before both walk over to Optimus.

The Humvee-turned robot salutes and says, **"Brawn and Warpath reporting, sir."**

**"Sha-bang!"** Optimus can only chuckle before turning to the Abrams.

**"It's good to see you're consistent, Warpath."**

**"It's good to see you're still fighting, sir. Sha-bang!"** Brawn and the young woman can only shake their heads in exasperation before Brawn steps in.

**"Sorry we took so long**** to get here****, sir, but there was an unavoidable setback in traffic."**

**"What kind, Brawn?"**

**"A field sobriety checkpoint, sir. We were on the Tokyo streets ****on our way here ****when we came across it. Alison, due to her age and dislike of alcohol to begin with, was allowed past**** with no ****difficulties****. The real trouble was when an Officer banged on Warpath's hatch to get the driver to submit to a sobriety test."**

**"Did Alison give**** a suitable explanation?"**

**"Yes sir, she did the best she could. But ****the Officer gave her a smile**** that only Megatron could only pull off, laughed and started pulling on the hatch."**

**"I see. And where's the Officer at now?"**

Next thing Optimus knows, muffled gunshots and shrieks that sound more like insane cackles emanate from Warpath's chest area. Familiarly insane cackles to Sousuke and Kaname's ears that nearly cause the young woman to jump in fright off of Warpath's shoulder.

**"The Officer's inside you, Warpath?"**

**"Yes sir. She was so stunned, she didn't have a chance to escape when I dumped her into me and closed the hatch on her. Sha-bang!"** Another muffled gunshot comes from Warpath's chest area before the mechanoid can go on. **"She's a feisty one, sir. That last shot from her projectile weapon was ticklish. Sha-bang!"**

Optimus can only shake his head in exasperation before looking at his warfare expert. **"Let her on out, Warpath. I think she knows by now how tough your insides are."**

**"Yes, sir. Sha-bang!"** With that, Warpath allows his top hatch to open.

From the opening rises a blue hat atop a crop of wildly askew red hair, that soon gives way to eyes with sheer madness within them. Which soon gives way to a smile that Brawn had claimed would be Megatron-worthy.

The face is one that Sousuke and Kaname know very well. The face that, if Gauron or even Gates had ever come across while still alive, would either drive them to run screaming for the hills and become good guys or fall madly in love with and have very insane children with.

For the face is that of Officer Yoko Wakana of the Sengawa district Police. As Wakana looks around, she sees her favorite couple and leaps down from Warpath's hatch. With Warpath gently putting his other passenger down onto the ground. By this time, Mei had joined the couple, finding herself curious about the newest people. When Wakana looks at Mei, Mei can be easily heard gulping audibly. Even Barricade internally cringes.

'In a way, she's like Sensei and Gates combined! Only their madness is combined!'

**'If I survive this, I just might join the Autobots!**** Or at least not be so hostile toward them!**** For a tiny fleshling, she could prove to scare even Starscream if he was here right now!****'**

"Hello, Sagaras!" Wakana's laughter has everyone human in hearing distance cringing and looking for an escape route. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has. So what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Mrs Sagara. But, I have a better question. What is going on here? A giant robot convention?"

**"Not quite, Officer."** When Wakana sees Optimus Prime, she gives him a look and shrugs. **"You don't seem to be very surprised, Officer."**

"Let's see. I just leaped down from a very dangerous height from a tank that turned into a robot. In some ways, I feel like a stripper at a bachelor party coming out of a cake." That thought alone, combined with Wakana's laughter, is enough to make the single men shudder in repulsed fear.

For they imagine a stripper with an insane grin doing the dances and the face soon turns to that of Wakana. Prompting them to furtively look for the nearest escape venue. Suddenly, a cell phone rings and Stephen sheepishly answers it.

"Hello?"

_"Stephen, have you left Japan yet? You forgot your passport, you know. Shall I call the family lawyers to let them know you're in Jail right now?"_

"Um, Mother, I'm not in Jail right now. If anything, I'm in a meeting that just got very interesting."

_"If you don't have your passport, then how could you have gotten into Japan?"_

"Sorry, Mother, but I don't think you'll believe me if I told you."

_"Sweetheart, I'm your Mother. You tell me and let me decide for myself."_

"Okay. Here goes." With the Autobots, Decepticon and other people listening intently to Stephen's end of the conversation, he wraps up with, "And that's how it stands right now." Upon hearing his Mother's reply, he nods and gives a weak chuckle before hanging up. Turning to look at Howard, he says, "Mother's going to call you next to verify what I just told her."

"What else did she say, Stephen?"

"She said that if we all share the same story, we're getting three months at the priciest funny farm she could find, Howard. If not a drug rehab facility in the same price range."

"Only one thing to do, then. Turn off our phones. When this mess is over with, and we're still alive, we prove it to Mother and hope for the best."

"Yeah, but it could easily backfire, though. She could seek help for all of us, her included. No, she needs to speak with someone not biased, can speak with a flat tone and remain calm under interrogation." Both brothers look around before seeing Mei.

As she notices the two young men looking at her, Mei thinks, 'Why do I have a bad feeling about the way they're looking at me?'

"Oh, Mei! Could you do us a favor and speak with our Mother next? Please?" At the eldest twins' united question, she looks over at Tony and gets a shrug from him.

"It couldn't hurt. You're the most unbiased one here that I know of and you can keep cool under interrogation conditions."

"Tony, I panicked when the Chodarl started overheating."

"True, but that was a life or death situation. No danger speaking on the phone."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Just think of it like saying, 'Your neighbor's dog is crapping on your lawn'. Easy as making a time bomb." At that comment, Kaname can't help but clench her hands in fury.

'Don't put any ideas into her head, you _baka_ lunatic!' When Kaname finishes her mental rant, Howard's phone rings and Mei answers it.

"Howard Garfunkle's phone, Mei Reynolds speaking."

_"Ms Reynolds, where is my son at?"_

"He asked me to speak with you as an unbiased party."

_"I see. Is my son, Stephen, telling the truth?"_

"Yes, ma'am. He is."

_"About transforming robots, Simon's involvement with a group called Amalgam and everyone __that is there__ in Japan has a role to play in this scenario?"_

"Yes, ma'am. Much like I'm certain the neighbor's dog is crapping in your lawn and making a time bomb at the same time." Everyone else's eyes go wide, as do the beings from Cybertron, if that's even possible, and everyone can only think one thing.

'WTF? Did she say what I think she said?'

**'WTF? Did she say what I think she said?'**

Mei listens intently as Ms Garfunkle says something more to her before hanging up. Turning to Kaname, she asks, "Kaname, what does it mean to hail a taxi in a fun way? Especially in New York."

"I think it means she intends to have you strip naked and dangle you from the Brooklyn Bridge." Shrugging, she adds, "Of course, I never really understood New York."

"I see. I'm afraid I'll have to decline Ms Garfunkle's offer as I'll only strip naked for my husband." Looking over at Tony, she adds, "The Brooklyn Bridge may be a tad much, but I think I can pull it off. With Tony being naked with me."

Four of the Garfunkle brothers razz Tony on his having the best luck to have such a hot and attractive wife. Kevin, however, can't help but be entranced by the young ebony beauty walking toward him. Dressed in her desert BDUs, she presents an entrancing sight to him. Next thing he knows, she's shaking him while keeping him standing upright.

"Snap out of it, man!" Upon seeing him blinking his eyes, the young woman nods her satisfaction before going on. "I am a Private in the United States Army. Not a piece of meat for you to consume and throw away. Got it?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. I only have one rule. No lusting after me until after the third date. If you try anything before that time, they will not find your rotting corpse. Got it?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good." Sticking her hand out, she says, "Private Alison Thomas, US Army."

Sticking his hand out in kind, Kevin replies, "Kevin Garfunkle, aimless rich kid." Alison can't help but giggle at what Kevin had said. Neither can Kaname, Mei or even Michelle.

As she stands by Red Alert, the mechanoid looks down at her and asks, **"Why are you still single, Michelle? You're of excellent child-bearing age and you're quite attractive for a female member of your species."** Michelle can't help but blush furiously as she kicks the toes on her right foot downward and grinds them against the ground.

"I was almost married once. Nice guy, very successful in what he does, but the night before my wedding, I caught him with one of my bridesmaids. My own sister, no less! I told him the wedding was off, threw his ring at him and joined the State Patrol. All in the same night."

**"Did he ever try explaining what had happened?"**

"Nope. Nor did I give him a chance. Face it, Red, I'd be better off staying as far away from romance as I possibly can. It's a cruel and sadistic joke at times."

**"What about the other couples? They seem to disprove your theory."**

"They're the lucky ones that didn't have cruelty of the heart happen to them. For me or other people like me, there's no Prince Charming, Princess Bride or a happy ending. Only sad loneliness at the end of life."

"You idiot!" Turning at the voice, Michelle can clearly see an angry Miss Kagurazaka with her hands on her hips. "You're still young, Trooper. With some years ahead of you. Yeah, sure, you came across an apple with a worm in it. That doesn't mean you should just give up on love and romance." Reaching into a pocket, she brings out a small folding purse and opens it.

Bringing out a picture, she hands it to Michelle and says, "Open it." When Michelle does so, Miss Kagurazaka goes on. "That's my boyfriend, Jordan McAllen. He runs 'The Grilled Otaku' restaurant here in Tokyo. We didn't meet until almost a year ago. We're still going strong, but I didn't find him until it was too late for me to bear children. And you know what? He doesn't mind that one bit. All that matters is what's in your heart." Looking over toward the two eldest brothers that just started giving Kevin a hard time by teasing him mercilessly, she adds, "Start with them."

"No, not yet. Maybe, when this is over and if I'm still alive, I'll think about it. But, what if my heart gets broken again?"

"If you don't try, you don't win. The same goes for relationships." All further chatter is halted when a gunshot brings it to an end. "Well, I guess that means the meeting's in session now."

"How can you tell, Miss Kagurazaka?"

"Easily. Sagara's a young man that knows how to take control of a room. No matter what the circumstance, he gets results. Some good, others not so good." Michelle can only shake her head and giggle. With Miss Kagurazaka joining in. Once the meeting gets underway, Sousuke begins.

"For reasons I don't understand, yet beginning to suspect, an alliance has been formed to stop Amalgam's research into technology from other civilizations. Be it Earthbound or far beyond the reaches of Earth. While I may not exactly agree with the tactics, I must admit I'm quite impressed with your level of discretion, Mr Prime."

**"Optimus, please, Sousuke."**

"Roger." Looking around, Sousuke goes on. "As with any just effort like this, it can only be carried out with precision, tenacity and intelligence. The third of which, we'll address now." Turning his attention to the most recent addition to Mithril, he asks, "Mei, are there any assets in Tokyo that Amalgam uses?"

"Yes. There is a man here that Amalgam uses constantly. His name's Sasuke Oroha. He operates a sound studio as a front for a wiretapping operation to benefit Amalgam's interests, along with being Amalgam's switchboard. He was also the one that provided Mr Bruno with the equipment needed to communicate with Gates before the Nanking incident and gotten my sister into Japan."

"Well, now. He must be paid a visit. Describe him for us please, Mei."

"Yes, Mrs Sagara. He's tall, heavyset, balding at the top and dressed in a very peculiar manner."

"How so, Mei?" Mei turns to Mikaela and gives her a slightly disgusted smile.

"Believe me, you'll know when you see him, Miss Banes."

"I guess we're going to see 'Jabba' the Hut now, then." Mei nods at Tony's statement before catching a slight smirk on his face.

"Honey?" In a voice meant to be intimidating, Tony gives her a slight tickle as he explains.

"I'll bring the chainsaw." Wakana nods in agreement before giving a reply of her own.

"I'll bring the beer." Mei considers the statement before adding an idea of her own.

Turning to Sousuke, she asks, "Do you have a shotgun in your arsenal, Lieutenant Sagara?"

"Affirmative." Reaching to just behind him, he brings out a sawed-off shotgun with a front pistol-grip-like assembly on the cocking mechanism. "This has served me well in High School. It should do the same for you in the studio, Sergeant."

Her eyes shining, as if she'd just received an eagerly awaiting present, she nods and says, "Thank you, sir. I'll bring it back to you in one piece."

"Um, just in case." Lennox, starting to feel useful now, brings out a small case and passes it to Mei. "That box has experimental 12 gauge high-heat sabot rounds inside it. I'm guessing it's 12 gauge, Lieutenant?"

"Affirmative, sir."

"Good. In case he doesn't feel impressed by the shotgun, feel free to show him why he should be afraid, Mei."

"Oh, I will, Captain." Meanwhile, Wakana looks over at Barricade and smiles manically, causing the Decepticon to cringe inwardly again. Along with feel curious.

**'Why is it I**** like and**** don't like the look on the fleshling's face**** at the same time****?'**

"Hey Optimus, do you think '643' could pay an 'official' visit to the site?" That question alone has Barricade shuddering in fear and anticipation at the same time.

**'This ****fleshling****'s nuts! And I like that even more!'**

That night, Sousuke and the others hammer out the plan and Sousuke decides to call in a specialist in the Medical field.

"Dr Tanaka, this is Sousuke Sagara. Yes, Kaname and Sousuke Jr are doing fine. Yeah. Any chance you can get the first floor of the Hospital deserted for us? Yes. We have a script for a play and need to borrow the facility for a brief period of time. How soon can you come in? Excellent. We'll see you soon, Doctor." He turns to the others and says, "She'll get it set up."

**"Why tell her you're doing a play, Sousuke? Doesn't she know about Mithril?"**

"No, Ratchet. She doesn't. And she doesn't need to know."

The next morning, a tall, heavyset man is getting stares of both sheer disgust and contemplation as he walks along the sidewalk to his studio. For Sasuke Oroha, the day's turning out to be pretty good so far. He'd gotten word from his wiretap on the Research Department's end that the small mechanoid had been fully analyzed, but it's life-force or power supply had given out. And that was last week.

'Yes, indeedy. Today's going to be a very good day for me and Amalgam! Hello?' As he gets to his studio, he sees a fairly uncommon sight. A black and white Saleen Mustang Police car with the number '643' on it. 'Now that's peculiar. Wonder what's going on? Tokyo Police doesn't even use Saleens.'

As he goes inside, he soon sees a horrifying sight. A woman wearing a Police uniform of the Sengawa Police is dumping beer all over his least important equipment and a young man is cutting their cords with a chainsaw while wearing rubber gloves. With both of them laughing like insane patients.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THIS IS DELICATE EQUIPMENT YOU'RE WRECKING HERE!" When he hears computer keys clacking, he sees his favorite chair facing his primary keyboard and adds, "Whoever you are, turn around!"

At his words, his chair suddenly swivels around, revealing a familiar face. With the person attached to the face holding a small shotgun. "Xia Yu Fan."

"I was once. Not anymore."

Getting up from his chair, she hefts the shotgun and cocks it as she walks away from it. Only to turn around and blast it with the shotgun, which instantly catches fire due to the insanely high level of heat from the sabot round that just passed through it. The round, in turn, lodges itself into a cabinet underneath the keyboard.

"ARE YOU MENTAL? THAT WAS ACTUAL ELEPHANT SKIN, YOU CRAZED ASSASSIN BITCH!" At that, he hears the chainsaw motor stop running.

"So she shot Dumbo's dumb ass. Who gives a fuck?" Sasuke turns at the male voice before gulping at how close he is. "Now, we got some questions and my lovely wife is pretty sure you've got the answers." Pointing the still-inactive chainsaw toward the man's groin, he says, "And you're going to answer them. Or else Wakana, my wife and I are going to get strategically sadistic."

"Oh, please. You decadent Americans are all the same. You're all talk and the Chinese women, other than Yu Fan, are way too mousy. Japanese women, oh, don't even get me started on them."

"I see. I guess that means you don't believe us, then."

"That's right, buddy boy. And nothing you do will change that."

"I see. Honey, show this brain donor what he gets today if he fails or refuses to cooperate."

"Gladly, my love." Pumping the shotgun again as she looks at the man, she says, "You know, you may have a nice operation here, but you really won't get anywhere for real if you keep using this crap."

"Are you kidding me? That behind you is the best equipment that Amalgam could buy. Top of the line, Yu Fan."

"That a fact?" Swinging the shotgun backwards, she shoots at the console before bringing it back forward to cock it again. "Wanna try again? See what I hit this time?" Sasuke looks at his equipment and refuses. "I see." Swinging the shotgun back again, she triggers the weapon before swinging it back to in front of her.

Right now, Sasuke is in angered shock over what had just happened. He then grins and says, "I have an alarm system that's tied into the Tokyo Police Department. Within minutes, you'll be set upon by a swarm of Police Officers, arrested and taken to Jail. In the meantime, I'll list my losses and Amalgam will gladly foot the bill for replacing it. Plus, when Mr Gold finds out you're still alive and in Jail, he can easily order your death, Xia Yu Fan. Along with your 'lover-boy' and this whacked-out Police broad."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about the alarm system. I took care of it when I told the alarm company and Police station in two separate calls that someone had broken in and I'd be waiting to speak to you upon your arrival. Isn't that just sweet of me?" Wakana gives Sasuke a grin which makes him cringe. "So now it's just the four of us and your equipment. With this place being soundproofed, we don't have to worry about any 'shots fired' calls whatsoever."

"I see. I seem to be at a disadvantage here. If I'd known I'd be having company, I wouldn't have shown up for work today."

"Aww, Tony, I think he hurt our feelings."

"Yeah. I think you're right, Yoko. Mei, honey, please shoot this prick's remaining equipment as fast as you can. Slag it all. Leave nothing intact." For an instant, Sasuke could swear he sees a glint of glee enter the young woman's eyes.

"Yes, my love."

Turning toward the equipment, she holds it at waist level and opens fire. Within a minute of rapid pumping and firing of high-heat sabot rounds, the equipment is rendered molten slag. Turning back around, she still has the gleeful look as she goes on.

"See? What did I tell you about using that kind of crap for your operations management and communications? It doesn't hold up well under combat conditions at all."

In a daze, Sasuke drops to his knees. Just as Wakana finds a compact disc that the others might find fascinating. The disc from the night Simon Garfunkle had died. Plus another disc. One from the previous week.

"I think I found some good hits here, guys! I think they're collectibles, too!" Suddenly seeing him go pale, she says, "Uh-oh. Guys, I don't think he's feeling well. Should we take him to the Hospital for treatment?"

"Yes. He should ride in the front seat, as the med crew will have a much easier time of pulling him out upon arrival." Giving the man a look of disgust, she adds, "Besides, I wouldn't feel comfortable if a grown man dressed like a drag queen was to sit beside myself or Tony."

Recovering himself, Oroha yells out, "I'm not dressed like a drag queen! I'm dressed like a princess!"

Shrugging, Tony retorts, "Drag queen, princess, who gives a shit? You're a grown man and you choose to dress like that? Appalling." Turning to Wakana, he adds, "Let's take the scenic route, Officer."

"Okay!"

Taking the strangely-dressed man outside to the Saleen, she opens the door on the passenger side, allowing her two passengers to get in first before putting the seat back and shoving Oroha on in.

Upon closing the door, she says, "I hope you're ready, Barricade." Recalling her introduction to Barricade after she asked if he could pay an 'Official' visit the previous night, she slightly shivers and cackles insanely. "Because he sure isn't!"

Three minutes later, Oroha is screaming his head off as Barricade flies through intact ground-level windows of abandoned buildings. With Barricade's engine roaring, his lights flashing and his sirens screaming.

"WHAT IS THIS? IS THIS HELL?"

As the car spins out, Oroha hopes the ride's over with, but starts screaming again as Barricade peels rubber onto the warehouse floor. With Wakana at the wheel, laughing and yelling insanely. Thoroughly enjoying the ride. Oroha, on the other hand, looks back at Yu Fan and Tony and sees they're calmly relaxing and enjoying the ride.

"HOW CAN YOU TWO POSSIBLY ENJOY THIS? THE OFFICER'S INSANE!"

**"It's not the Officer, fleshling. It's me!"** At the sound of the voice, accompanied by laughter similar to Wakana's, Oroha starts a gulp, but finds he can't complete it. **"Oh, is the little insignificant fleshling scared? Well, you haven't seen anything yet, meat bag!"**

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

**"I want to know where Frenzy is and I want to know now!"**

"I don't know anything about any Frenzy!"

"He means the little silver-colored robot that Amalgam has in it's clutches."

"SHUT IT, YU FAN! YOU'RE IN DEEP ENOUGH TROUBLE AS IT IS WITH MR GOLD! MR SILVER WAS HIS FAVORITE! AND YOUR IDIOT SISTER BETRAYED AND TRIED KILLING HIM!"

Yu Fan keeps her voice calm as she retorts, "Hmm, what a coincidence. Amalgam's in deep trouble as well. With me, Barricade and Mithril. So, where's Frenzy?" His voice calming down, he tries taking a tone of arrogant resistance as he turns back to the front.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because, if you refuse to cooperate, Barricade will be given permission to torture you."

Snorting, he asks, "And who is Barricade?"

**"That would be me, Amalgam fleshling."** A minute later, Barricade growls out, **"We're at the Hospital**** already****. Slag! I was hoping for more wild driving!"**

"Aww, don't worry, Barricade. Once we get him into the Hospital, I'll really open you up on the streets and see what you can do!" Wakana's laughter is so infectious, Barricade can't help but laugh as well.

**"Well, what are you waiting for, Amalgam fleshling? Get out so Wakana and I can ****go ****have some**** more**** fun!"**

"Yes sir." Eagerly opening the door and falling out of the Saleen, he can clearly hear Wakana, Barricade, Tony and Yu Fan laughing in cruel hilarity. "That's not funny!"

"Oh yes it is!" To prove her point, Yu Fan makes it a point to stomp onto Oroha's groin upon exiting Barricade. "Now that's funny!" As Oroha clutches his groin and the others laugh, Yu Fan calls out, "Medic! Medic! Need a gurney here!"

A young Caucasian man, dressed in an EMT uniform, comes out of the Hospital, gurney in hand. "Here we go. Need a medical scarf?"

"I'm not sure. Do you feel chills, Oroha-san?"

"I'm starting to, yes. Of course, it could be from the wild ride I just went through!"

"Very well. Bring a medical scarf while my husband and I put this man onto the gurney, medic."

"You got it."

As the EMT goes back into the Hospital, Oroha can't help but hear snickering as the young man runs back into the Hospital. As the couple starts putting him onto the gurney, he resists until he feels the barrel's business end against his stomach. Looking up, he sees Yu Fan grinning fiercely.

"You move, you die, Oroha. And I won't even feel bad about it."

As he rejoins the others inside the Hospital, Daniel says, "Okay, they've got Oroha with them. Pass me a pressure cuff, please, Dr Tanaka." In the background, Sousuke sees Miss Kagurazaka clamp her hands over her mouth and head for the nearest washroom.

"I know she's supposed be acting like a sick patient. But, you may want to check her out for real, Doctor. She did the same thing last night."

"Sure, Sagara-san." As she hands the cuff to Daniel, she can't help but ask, "What are you going to do with it, Simpson-san?"

"Are you familiar with the website Doc?"

"Not really."

"Well, you'll see when I come back with Oroha-asshole-san." Before Dr Tanaka can scold him on his language, he bolts away, cackling madly.

Shaking her head, she turns toward the Sagaras and remarks, "I don't know why you're doing this, but couldn't you find a better way, Sagara-san?"

"Sorry, Doctor Tanaka. But that's classified. But I'm sure you'll get some amusement. Thanks for your assistance so far. Remember your lines and what to do?"

"Hai. I've never acted before, though. But I think I can pull it off." Walking away, she adds, "I'll handle Kagurazaka-sama's exam. It could be morning sickness."

Kaname gives the Doctor a nod and says, "Great. If you have to, ad lib. Let's get our guys set up, Mikaela."

"Sure thing, Kaname." Both Mikaela and Kaname are dressed as Nurses and pull off the look rather well. Bringing up a pressure cuff, she says, "Time for the last part of your costume, Sam."

"Okay." Putting the pressure cuff around his neck, he says, "Just don't put too much pressure on my neck, Mikaela. This is for checking blood pressure, not for warming the neck."

"I know that, you know that and the others know that. But I seriously doubt this Oroha character knows it."

"Let's hope he doesn't." Looking toward Sousuke, Sam asks, "How stupid do these Amalgam guys turn out to be anyway, Sousuke?"

"Their levels of stupidity often vary, with few intellects in the mix, Mr Witwicky."

"So where are the brothers and sister Garfunkle at?"

"Right now, Miss Banes, they and NYPD ESU Captain Reese searching Tokyo with triangulation equipment created by Wheeljack, with Red Alert acting as search coordinator. They're looking for Amalgam's research lab here in Tokyo. It's the fallback plan in case Oroha doesn't cooperate."

Back outside, Daniel gets the pressure cuff around Oroha's neck and says, "When you start feeling chills, pump this little dangling knob here to warm your neck up."

"Strange, this looks like a pressure cuff for checking blood pressure."

"Well, things have changed quite a bit since your last check-up. Thinking of, when was your last check-up, Mr Oroha?"

"Not since I was a boy."

"Well, I'd say you're overdue then, bubba." Yu Fan and Tony nod in agreement as Daniel starts wheeling the gurney in, with Oroha strapped on tightly. Just as Wakana speeds Barricade away, laughing insanely.

"HERE WE GO! YAHOO!" As the Saleen races away, Tony can only sweatdrop as he turns toward his wife.

"She's enjoying herself, isn't she, Mei?"

"It would seem so, Tony. Come. It's time for the next phase." With that, the couple goes into the Hospital. Hoping that they'll learn what they need to know.

Ten minutes later, as she drives Barricade, Wakana is soon distressed by a thought. Barricade picks up on it and takes over. Much to Wakana's relief as she ponders it.

Barricade can't help but be curious as he asks, **"Is something wrong, Wakana?"**

"Yeah. If there's action today and it's large, we can very well expect complications from Police channels."

**"So, where do we go from here, Wakana?"**

"We need to get in touch with someone with connections, to ensure we get no interference from the other Officers."

**"Well, you could always tell them you're being held against your will. And there's only one demand. That whatever happens today is not responded to by Police. In short, they're to stay out of it."**

"Yeah, that's an idea. But, Japanese laws include 'No negotiations with abductors of Police Officers'. That includes ransom demands of any kind. No, this has to be from higher up."

**"Maybe Mithril has connections with the Japanese Government. Otherwise, Lieutenant Sagara might not even be here right now."**

"Well, I could try calling the Lieutenant and see what he says." Pondering it, she then brings out her phone and says, "It can't hurt to try." Punching in his number, she adds, "Here goes." When she hears Sousuke's voice, she gives him her thoughts and he gives her a number to call, with her writing it down in her pad of paper. "Thanks, Lieutenant. Sorry about the last minute thought. Yeah. Bye."

Hanging up, she dials the other number. When she hears a voice, she proceeds. "My name is Yoko Wakana. I'm an Officer of the Sengawa district Police in Tokyo Japan. Urzu 1 gave me the number. Which one? The West Pacific one. Yeah, him. Here's my situation and concern." Ten more minutes later, the call is ended and Wakana lets out a nervous sigh. "It's going to be a near thing. It's a good thing Sousuke gave me the number when he did."

**"Do you anticipate complications still?"**

"Yeah, I do. But, I think we could make it without a problem." Next thing she knows, Barricade speeds up, making Wakana nervous. "Barricade?"

**"Just got the roll out command from Prime. The Amalgam warehouse has been found.**** Hang on.****"**

Twenty minutes earlier, back at the Hospital, Oroha finds himself still in his outfit, given that he's still strapped to the gurney. He then sees he's in a room with two other men that are wearing the same kind of cuffs around their necks. Giving them a weak grin, he turns toward one that's only showing the right side of his face.

"What are you here for? Did you go for a wild ride too?"

"Negative. My wife thought I wasn't feeling well when I suddenly shuddered in our bedroom. With her being a nurse, she left nothing to chance and promptly brought me here."

Next thing they know, a woman Doctor, with her nose to the clipboard in her hands, walks into the room without looking or knocking.

"Okay, I've got your test results back. Congratulations. You're pregnant."

"WHAT?" Oroha can't help but be stunned at those words from the Doctor's mouth. He's so stunned, he misses the snickers from the two men on the beds alongside his. "But, I'm a man!"

"Oh?" The Doctor looks up from her clipboard before sweatdropping and smiling sheepishly. "Oops. I think I got the wrong room by mistake." The young man on the other side of Oroha leans forward before smiling softly.

"What room are you looking for, Doc?"

"The room that Miss Kagurazaka's in. I could have sworn she was in here."

"Our apologies, Doctor. But this room was unoccupied when we got here. Could it be she'd been moved without your knowledge?" As Oroha turns toward the one with the right side profile, he can't help but feel he'd seen that face before.

"It's possible. I hate when they do that. Those _bakas_ don't know what they're doing when it comes to rooming the patients. Or listing their room numbers." Giving them a soft smile, she then says, "But, since I'm already here, I might as well take a look at you all. I can inform Miss Kagurazaka when I wrap up here." When she gets to the one that Oroha's lying on, she asks, "Why are you strapped onto the gurney?"

"I don't really know, Doctor. This whacked-out Chinese assassin girl, a white guy and a Tokyo cop were wrecking my studio. Next thing I know, I'm in a Police car from Hell that talks! They brought me here under duress and strapped me onto this gurney! RELEASE ME AT ONCE!"

"Now, now. There will be none of that." As he calms down somewhat, she goes on. "I see. That's absolutely fascinating. How long have you had this delusion now? Along with your manner of dressing."

"It's no delusion, Doc. It's the real thing. Satan has himself a Police force, with that demon car leading the unit. '643' is the number." Oroha can now clearly hear the other two patients chuckling. "I'm being serious here! As for my manner of dress, it's none of your damn business!"

"Now, now. Why don't I look at your chart and see what you're here for." As the Doctor lifts the chart off the bed, she mumbles inaudibly, causing Oroha to gulp nervously. She then looks up at him and frowns.

"Okay, Mr Oroha, I know having depression or being impotent may be bad to you. I mean, I can understand the depression because of your manner of dressing getting you ridiculed. But, do you really want to die, Mr Oroha?" Those words cause Oroha's eyes to bulge out in shock.

"WHAT? NO, I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I WANT TO DO AMALGAM'S WORK!"

"Oh my, this could be a side effect of your chills, Mr Oroha. Delusions of other people that don't exist." Looking toward the other patients adjacent to Oroha, she asks, "How are you feeling, gentlemen?" The young man on Oroha's right gives a bright grin before replying.

"I feel okay, Doc. I've got a sexy girlfriend and I'm planning to propose to her." The other young man nods before giving his reply.

"I'm fully mission capable, Doctor. No problems here. It must have been something in the climate that caused the chill this morning. I can adapt. It's not a problem."

"I see." Turning toward Oroha, the Doctor then says, "It's against my better judgment, but I'm afraid I'll have to euthanize you, Mr Oroha." In shock at the words, Oroha can't help but freak out.

"WHAT?" Struggling against his straps, he thinks, 'I gotta get outta here!'

"Yes. In your case, extreme delusions and depression, combined with chills, indicate a deadly disease. Luckily, it's not contagious. If your delusions persist, they'll drive you to the point of madness." As Oroha thrashes about still, the Doctor walks toward him and gently pats his chest. "Believe me, it's better this way, Mr Oroha."

Nodding toward the doorway, with two young women dressed as Nurses there, she says, "You two don't need to see this. If you like, I can have these two nurses wheel you both out of here." Seeing them shake their heads 'no', she sighs and says, "Very well. I'll probably need unbiased witnesses anyway."

"You got it."

"Understood." Both nurses smile at the patients and sensually lick their lips. Which Oroha doesn't even notice. For he's paralyzed in fear temporarily until he sees the Doctor reaching for his neck.

The Doctor lifts up the small pressure knob on the cuff and starts squeezing it. With every squeeze, the cuff begins compressing against Oroha's neck. As he resumes struggling against the bindings, he sees the Doctor giving him a smile of reassurance.

"It's okay. Just let yourself go, Mr Oroha."

His voice choking out, Oroha says, "I want to live! I don't want to die! I'll get treatment if that's what you want! Just please don't do this!" Instead, he hears her doing something of a soft lullaby. A soft and disturbing lullaby.

"Oh, sad is the world. Buy a Kevorkian scarf. And a neck." By now, the man's face is beet red before he falls back, unconscious. Checking for a pulse, she finds one, nods and says, "He's out cold, Mr Sagara. Simpson-san's idea was pretty good."

Removing the cuff from around their necks, both young men get up from the gurneys and thank Doctor Tanaka for her help. Turning toward the out-cold Oroha and scowling at him briefly, Sousuke then turns to a grinning Yu Fan as she enters the room.

"It went well. But he wasn't very talkative in this setting."

"I see." Frowning in turn, Yu Fan asks, "Instructions, sir?"

"Get this sack of shit out of here and to Intelligence, Sergeant. I want to know what he knows, yesterday." Getting the smile going again, she bows toward him as she enters the room.

"Yes, sir." As she wheels Oroha out, she hears Sousuke call for her. "Lieutenant?"

"Fine job." Yu Fan's blush could light up Tokyo for five years as she wheels the gurney out of the room. Turning to Doctor Tanaka, he says, "The man that was just wheeled out of here died and my associates and I were never here. That'll be the story if anyone comes checking around. Clear?"

"Very clear, Mr Sagara. But, I don't understand one bit of what's going on. You asked me to play along with this scenario. Which I kindly did and I'd like some answers." Going nose to nose with him, she adds, "And I'd like them right now."

Sam clears his throat and replies, "Trust me, Doc. The less you know, the longer you'll stay alive. It's not a threat, but advanced warning. If you knew and whoever will be coming here intent on getting you to talk comes, one of two things will happen. One, you spill and you could wind up dead. Two, you play it safe and you've got a chance at staying alive."

"But, what's Amalgam?" Sousuke steps closer to her, causing her to step back nervously.

"That is a figment of your overworked mind, Doctor Tanaka. Please, make no mention of it. Like Mr Witwicky said, the less you know, the longer you'll stay alive."

"Okay." Remembering the folder, she adds, "I need to inform Miss Kagurazaka anyway." With that, she exits the room, intent on finding Miss Kagurazaka.

"Roger." Jerking his head to the door, he adds, "Sam, go ahead and exfil the others."

"Right." As Sam exits the room to begin exfiltration of the emptied out ground floor, he passes word on to Kaname and Mikaela as they head into the makeshift changing room.

With that, the exfiltration begins. With the deserted first floor showing no other signs of life until an hour later. When the usual staff arrives. Stunned by the lack of activity and how orderly it was at the same time, they proceed on with their duties in the Hospital.

Until they hear a loud series of bellows coming from one of the rooms.

"WHAT? I'TS IMPOSSIBLE! I CAN'T BE PREGNANT! IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME!"

Leaving the Hospital in a huff five minutes later, Miss Kagurazaka stomps toward Cliffjumper. Before lightening her steps, she mutters inaudibly. When Cliffjumper opens his door, Miss Kagurazaka gives him a grateful smile as she gets in.

"Thanks, Cliffjumper."

**"No problem, but why are you upset, Miss Kagurazaka?"**

"I was supposed to play the role of a sick patient, not have a damn test done on me. Damn that Sagara and his concerns."

**"It's like you said. He was concerned about you. You didn't react very well to me, remember?"**

Her face lightening into a slight smile, she replies, "Yes, but I thought that was just stress." Starting to giggle, she adds, "I need to inform Jordan. To 'The Grilled Otaku', my good Autobot." Cliffjumper's laughter mixes well with Miss Kagurazaka's as he drives toward the restaurant.

Meanwhile, around the city of Tokyo, the Autobot search party is busy trying to trace the signal from the vicinity of Oroha's shop. Their intent was to find the source of the signal coming into the now-defunct communications relay station used by Amalgam. Which is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Feeling somewhat discouraged, Michelle resists the urge to yawn as she takes a drink of coffee from her cup. 'This is feeling a whole lot like high school. Sit, wait and learn if at all possible. At least there's no biology involved this time. I didn't do too well with that subject.'

Checking her watch, she nods and says, "Time for check-in, Red."

**"Copy that, Michelle."** Switching to Cybertronian, Red Alert begins. **'Red Alert to all searching Autobots. Report in.'**

**'Wheeljack here. Nothing so far. Bobby's getting to feel slightly discouraged.'**

**'Hound here. Nothing yet. Johnny's wanting to know when we can start busting Amal-chops.'**

**'Smokescreen here. Nothing to report yet. Cynthia and Richard are watching their respective sides**** to see if they can spot anything that would attract Amalgam's attention.'**

**'Sunstreaker here. Nothing yet. Stephen's getting anxious and I can't blame him one bit.'**

**'Sideswipe here. Nothing yet. Howard's starting to think this is a wild goose chase and that we're wasting our time.'**

**'Tracks here. Nothing yet. Scratch that, hold it. I have a signal source. It's trying to access the communications relay point's computer system but is being blocked****. I guess Mei knocked the system out. Permanently. Oh damn. Kevin's cracking his knuckles inside me!'**

**'Red Alert to all other Autobot searchers. Key on Tracks' beacon and I'll inform the others. Good going, Tracks.'**

**'Thank you, thank you. It's good to see my superb driving got your attention at last.'** When contact ends, Red Alert lets out a sigh that comes out through his exhaust pipes. Catching Michelle's attention.

"Something wrong, Red?"

**"Yes and no. Yes because Tracks is still being an egomaniac****congratulating his 'superb driving' as the reason why we found it."**

"The research site?"

**"Yep. You got it. Let's get going. Optimus and the others need to know as quickly as possible."**

With that, the NYSP Lamborghini pulls away and heads toward the abandoned warehouse, which was serving as the Autobots' temporary headquarters. Five minutes later, as the Autobots' Security Head nears the site, a helicopter appears out of nowhere, causing Michelle to flinch slightly.

**"What in Primus' name is going on here? Where'd that helicopter come from?"**

"Your guess is as good as mine, Red. Could it be one of Mithril's higher ups?"

**"I guess we'll find out. It's landing in front of the temporary base."**

Inside the temporary base, just before Red Alert's arrival, Tony, Yu Fan, Sousuke and Kaname are clad in their fatigues, checking their weapons after their arrival fifteen minutes prior when Sousuke's communicator chimes. Bringing it out, he accepts the call.

"Urzu 1 here."

_"Urzu 1, this is Ansuz-1. We're coming in for a landing.__ I've got a crate of M-16 rifles with me.__ Along with extra Mithril uniforms.__"_

"Urzu 1, roger." Turning to Kaname, he says, "The Captain's arriving, Kaname. With M-16s and Mithril uniforms."

"Tessa? What would she be doing here? With M-16s and Mithril uniforms, no less?"

"No idea, but I've got a hunch I know what this is about." Her eyes going wide, Kaname gasps her shock. "Exactly. Which is why she said I had no need to know at that particular time back on the base." At that point, Ansuz-1 touches down onto the ground, fully visible, as the main rotor slows to a stop.

Upon seeing Ironhide ready his weapons, Yu Fan says, "Stand down, Ironhide. She's our Commanding Officer in Mithril."

**"How do you know that, Yu Fan****?"**

"It's because Mithril has the best ECS in the world, _baka_. Wait, wait, wait." Her head kinking to the side, Kaname asks, "You couldn't even detect it? But, you're more advanced than we are!"

**"I did detect an increase in ozone just before the 'ECS' shut down. It must be a weakness."** Musing thoughtfully, Ironhide murmurs, **"Whatever this ****'ECS' stuff is, I just hope Barricade's**** fellow Decepticons don't get it when they scan and copy."**

"Scan and copy? Is that how you get your alt forms?" Ironhide gives her a nod before adding another item.

**"Yes. However, our sides do things differently. Autobots leave the vehicles they copy intact. Decepticons destroy those they copy. Operators included."**

All further chatter is ended as the helicopter's main door opens and out steps a petite young woman dressed in a khaki uniform. The young woman looks around before smiling softly and taking a step forward. Only to wind up doing an ungraceful face-plant onto the ground in front of her. Ironhide can't help but wince.

**'****Ouch! ****That's got to slaggin' hurt!'**

"Madam Captain/Tessa!" Both Sousuke and Kaname realize they spoke in sync again before chuckling sheepishly as they head for Tessa's side. "You okay, Madam Captain/Tessa?" Another sheepish chuckle, just as Daniel comes up to check on the newest arrival.

"Are you okay, ma'am? Where are you hurt? Have you always fallen down?" When the young woman looks up at him, Daniel is dazed at her beauty.

Tessa, in turn, feels her heart beating rapidly. Standing in the background, Ratchet takes a primary sniff and chuckles lightly before turning to Optimus. However...

**'Now's not the time, Ratchet. She just fell and he just met her. So don't mention her pheromone levels or his.'**

**'Yes sir.'**

As he helps her up, Daniel says, "I'm Daniel Simpson."

"Teletha Testarossa."

"Ah." Having a hunch, he plays on it. _"How's your Italian?"_

Tessa's eyes can't help but go wide before she smiles demurely. _"My Italian is quite good, Mr Simpson. As is yours."_

_"Yeah, well, my Mom wanted me to learn a romantic language. So, I chose Italian."_

_"Good choice. So what gave me away?"_

_"Well, Testarossa's not a common American name. Plus it's the name of one of the planet's finest sports cars.__ A car made by an Italian company__ named Ferrari__"_ Tessa can't help but giggle at him before going on in Italian.

_"Never assume too much, Mr Simpson. Assumptions can get you into trouble, dead or very lucky."_

_"I'll decline the middle, but gladly take the other two as long as it's with you."_ Tessa blushes so heavily, she turns away from him. Feeling abashed, he says, _"__I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"_

_"No, you didn't. You just caught me off-guard."_ Turning back to him, she softly says, _"Thank you, Daniel Simpson."_ Much to her giddiness, Daniel softly grasps her hand and kisses it.

_"It should be me that thanks you, Teletha Testarossa. Having been graced by your beauty, I feel my life's complete."_ Much to his surprise, she giggles shyly.

_"When this is all over, I'd like to invite you to dinner, Mr Simpson."_

_"I would be delighted, Miss Testarossa."_

As the two speak back and forth in Italian, Kaname turns to Sousuke as Yu Fan, Tony, Sousuke and Kaname all move to unload the crates and softly asks, "Any idea what those two are saying?"

"No idea, Kaname. But I think we have a matchup for Madam Captain." Yu Fan and Tony both nod their agreement with Sousuke's assessment.

"Ah." In a louder tone of voice, she asks, "Shall we start planning their wedding, Sousuke?" Tessa and Daniel stop their conversation, with their faces bright red, and turn toward Kaname. "Well, I gotta admit, you two look so cute together!"

"Mrs Sagara, next time you're on the TDD-1, I intend to have a plank on the side so I can make you walk it, wearing only your white bikini. Lieutenant Sagara will be walking it with you if he utters one word of agreement with you."

"Okay. Can he wear a Speedo?" Tessa tries taking on an angered expression, only to start giggling madly. Just as the four put the crate down near Trailblazer.

"Yes, he can, Mrs Sagara." In the background, romantic music can be heard and the humans and Autobots can't help but laugh. "Where's that music coming from?"

"That'd be Bumblebee, Madam Captain. In this case, I think the song 'Sea of Love' would be quite appropriate." Sousuke can't keep it together anymore and starts laughing fondly. "Would you like it played at your wedding?" Tessa can't help but keep her blush as she nods. "Roger."

Meanwhile, Red Alert is finishing his report to Optimus Prime. **"And that's where it stands as of now, sir."**

**"Very good, Red Alert.****" **Simultaneously speaking and transmitting in Cybertronian, Optimus says,**"****Autobots and Decepticon, transform and roll out!"**

As the transformers transform, Daniel softly takes Tessa's hand and smiles at her. Just as Sousuke and Kaname get the crate loaded into Trailblazer after the mechanoid finishes transforming.

_"Wanna ride with me?__ Be my medical crew or backup?__"_

_"Sure! __I can do both! __Which one's yours?"_

_"Ratchet."_ When she sees the Hummer he's walking toward, she giddily takes his hand and both run toward it. When they get inside, Daniel switches to English and says, "Let's go, Ratchet. Code three."

**"You got it, Daniel.****"** After an audible sniffing sound, Ratchet asks,**"****Do I need to bring up your pheromone levels as of right now?"**

"No, Ratchet. That will not be needed at this time." Daniel's words give Tessa a slight bit of relief from her blush. Only something more Ratchet mentions makes her blush even worse.

**"What about her ovulation status?"**

"Ratchet, do not make me unplug your vocal processors. This is not the time or place for that kind of talk!" Leaning toward the dashboard, he hisses out, "Is that clear, Ratchet?" Silence is Daniel's answer as he settles back and drives the Autobot.

As he follows the Hummer, Ironhide can't help but snicker at Ratchet's Cybertronian swearing. **'Ratchet, he's got a point there. I somehow don't think that Captain Testarossa is ready for parenthood just yet.'**

As she sits in Ironhide's back set, with Tony right beside her, Yu Fan asks, "What're they talking about, Captain Lennox?"

"No clue. It's in Cybertronian, so it's got to be something that only they can comprehend."

In front of 'The Grilled Otaku', Cliffjumper gets the mobilization code and rolls out. Just as Jordan comes outside in a daze of joy. When he sees Cliffjumper speeding away, he only has one thing to say as he's in a daze still.

"Eri, some goober just stole your new car!"

Sitting on the chair inside, she can only shed tears of joy and love as she thinks, 'Good luck, Cliffjumper. Stay safe so our baby can ride in you.' Getting up from her seat, she goes over to him and gives him a hug of reassurance.

"Don't worry, Jordan. The car will be back in no time. We have a good Police force over here."

In the outer reaches of space, an F-22 Raptor is being accompanied by three forms resembling comets. Starscream had encountered the three during his journey through the stars and told them of Megatron's defeat, along with the destruction of the Allspark. Angling himself for reentry after allowing the three protoforms to proceed ahead, Starscream can only think one thought.

**'Death to the Autobots and all of Earth's inhabitants! Megatron will be avenged!'**

Back in Japan, the Autobots and Decepticon are gathering at a warehouse that's very-well-maintained. Too well-maintained, that it sticks out like a sore thumb as opposed to the other buildings that look like they're about to fall apart.

Analyzing the situation and structure after unloading the crates with Yu Fan, Tony and Kaname helping, Sousuke consults with Tessa and both agree that Mithril jets will likely be needed to provide close air support. Adding his agreement, Lennox calls Epps on his phone, telling his Air Force colleague they need F-15 and F-35 support.

Gripping her Mithril M-16 uneasily, Yu Fan can't help but feel something terrible's going to happen. Turning to Tony, she gives him a soft peck. "Stay safe, my love."

"You too, honey. After all, we still have our lives ahead of us."

"Yes. I agree." In the background, the volunteers are getting into the one-piece Mithril uniforms that they can simply wear over their clothes. The only thing not Mithril issue is their footwear.

Minutes later, as they hold their weapons unsteadily, Wakana, Sam, Mikaela, the brothers and sister Garfunkle listen carefully to Richard as he explains how to fire their borrowed Mithril M-16 rifles. While Lennox explains their borrowed handheld laser designators. The ESU Captain and military Captain both give his new family and their new friends a look of grave concern and Richard adds one more thing.

"If any of you don't feel up to it, step back now. I won't think any ill will toward you." Seeing them stay put, he adds, "Lock and load." The sound of rifle bolts locking into place is music to his hears.

Lennox adds, "You may or may not get a chance to use the designators. If it happens that way, don't worry about it. We may have beam-riders incoming, but that doesn't mean they'll be launched. Consider them as a last resort option only meant for heavy resistance."

Inside the warehouse, Amalgam goons are preparing for a massive attack. They had no idea how they'd been found by all the cars and people outside, but they didn't care. They weren't going to go down without a fight. One of the men even activates a large contingent of Alastor warriors.

In a lower level of the building, a woman scientist is about to start cutting open the chest plate of a small metallic form with a cutting torch. But, the blue flame has little-to-no effect as the metal holds steady. Bringing up a metal-cutting saw next, she presses it against the torso, only for it to break and nearly send shards into her. She then tries a metal-penetrating drill, but gets the same result. With the shaft shearing off from the strain.

Feeling frustrated, she looks at the opposite table and finds herself curious about one of the form's weapons. Going over to the table, she reaches for a circular blade that looked like it belonged with the form. Barely running a finger along the edge, she suddenly yelps lightly and pulls it back upon feeling her fingertip cut open.

'Sharp one, aren't you? Let's see how you do against the one that used you the most!' Reaching for a nearby circular saw, she takes caution to not put her fingers near the blade as she presses the saw against it. Dragging the saw across the table, she elects to press against the body of the blade to ensure it doesn't fall off.

Tightening it into place, she turns it right-side up and gets a look at the wicked-looking blade before running the saw in a testing manner. Grinning evilly upon seeing it rotate freely, she leaves the saw running. As the saw's motor runs, she leans forward intently, eager on cutting the form open. When the first sparks fly, she grins maliciously as the metal is cut open.

'That's it, my little friend! Reveal to me your secrets so they can benefit Amalgam and Amalgam alone!' Suddenly, an alarm interrupts her. 'Dammit! Can't a scientist get any work done around here?'

Going over to an intercom, she asks, with a German accent, "What is going on, you fools? Can't you see I'm trying to work?"

_"__Sorry, Fraul__e__i__n Kruze__, but we've got intruders in the perimeter."_

"What? Are you sure about that, fool? This facility is a heavily-guarded secret within Amalgam. Mr Silver saw to it upon his activation."

_"Yes, Fraulein Kruze.__ All of t__he Alastors have been activated as a defensive measure. __They're… oh shit.__ The vehicles outside are transforming.__"_ All further contact ends when the intercom erupts into static.

"Sentry post! Sentry post! Report at once, you incompetent morons!"

Back outside, before the event, Warpath, Brawn and Alison arrive and Alison takes her place inside Warpath's turret as they all transform. Readying themselves for battle. Locking on the targeting system, she shakes her head before muttering. "Let's get this party started. Sha-bang!"

As Warpath fires a blast from his main weapon, Alison can't help but shyly chuckle out, "That was weird on so many levels. Sha-bang!" Her eyes going wide, she clamps her hands over her mouth, not wanting to sound like Warpath any longer. With that, the war against Amalgam's desire for Cybertronian technology and the fate of the world begins.

Ironhide and Brawn use their weaponry to great effect in order to minimize human casualties. As do the other Autobots. Their human partners, however, start shooting and blow off kneecaps with every shot. Intent on interrogating the men swarming outside for knowledge about Mr Gold and his past activities. While Wakana, Sam and Mikaela go for quick kill shots on those that move to fire on them.

Barricade's not so gentle, targeting every human wearing an Amalgam uniform, intent on finding the one that hurt Frenzy and hurting the one slowly. As the Amalgam soldiers run out of ammunition, they quickly surrender, hoping to be arrested. Barricade's about to deny them that until he sees Yu Fan and Wakana shaking their heads 'no'. So, instead, he elects to interrogate them. Thoroughly.

**"Where is Frenzy, fleshlings? Speak now!"**

"It won't do any good, Barricade. It's unlikely they know what you're referring to."

**"If that's the case, Mithril Lieutenant?"**

"We do it old school. Kaname, Yu, and Tony are with me. You and the others can take these guys into custody. Guys, standard grid search. Spread out upon insertion."

"Hmm, I love it when you talk dirty, Sousuke."

Barricade can't help but shake his head in annoyance at Kaname's words as he follows the group to just outside of the building. Before they can any further, a familiar sight stops Yu Fan, Tony, Sousuke and Kaname dead in their tracks. A large regiment of Alastors walking up into battle positions.

"Oh, great. Alastors. This must be where Leonard stored his toys." Sousuke nods in agreement with Kaname as Barricade looks on.

**"Did Amalgam get hold of protoforms as well?**** They certainly look like them.****"**

Yu Fan flatly replies, "No, Barricade. The Alastors were the design of Captain Testarossa's late brother. They're semi-autonomous man-sized Arm Slaves. Yu Lan was killed by one. Our low-caliber weapons are ineffective against them. Yours might have a chance."

**"Only one way to find out then."** Turning his attention to the Alastors, Barricade yells, **"Eat slag, Alastors!"** Leveling his blaster at the first Alastor and firing, he grins maliciously as it goes down. **"Autobots, those protoform wannabes are susceptible to damage from our blasters! Let's slag them!"**

Optimus Prime replies, **"You heard him, Autobots! Let's plow the road!"**

With that, the Autobots and Decepticon consolidate their weaponry against the Amalgam Alastors, knocking down a considerable number. But while every shot destroys an Alastor, there's too many of them. Upon hearing the aerial attack force coming, Lennox grins. For he has an idea.

"Beam riders incoming! Laze targets!" The attacking force brings up their handheld designators and points the infrared beam at the Alastors as they walk up. "The heat's coming! Hold steady!" Turning to Sousuke, he says, "Lieutenant, tell them we're marking hostiles with red smoke."

"Roger." Bringing out his communications headset, he says, "Incoming air units, this is Urzu 1. Hostiles are painted and position is marked with red smoke. You are cleared to go hot."

As the warplanes fly overhead, all can hear their cannons firing, with the rounds nailing the Alastors. Allowing the small human expeditionary force to infiltrate. With Barricade blasting any Alastor that comes up along the way in. Upon the smell of cooked human meat wafting from within it as they reach the opening, Kaname can't help but feel the urge to hurl.

"I think Warpath got a few with the first blast without knowing it, Sousuke."

"True. Although collateral damage is usually unavoidable in conflict. There was no way Warpath could have known what kind of effect his blast would have."

**"I agree."** Next thing Barricade knows, he picks up a familiar signal. **"Starscream. He's approaching Earth's atmosphere. And he's got company."** Yu Fan and Tony both turn toward the Decepticon before Tony shrugs and asks.

"How many?"

**"Three. All in protoform configuration. Lieutenant, send word to your flights if they value their lives, to do everything possible to stay alive. Starscream lives to kill, as do the others, I'm sure."**

"I thought you didn't like humanity as a whole. Why tell me?" Bringing out his communications unit, he looks at the Decepticon and asks, "Because of the truce and temporary alliance?"

**"Yes. And also Starscream and the others will have to work for their kills.**** I'll head back out and ensure success**** of the operation****"**

"Roger. Though that is quite disconcerting." Putting the unit on the frequency he wants as they walk in, he begins. "This is Urzu 1 to all friendly flying forces. Airborne hostiles heading our way. Evade engaging hostiles to best of your abilities. Mithril attack jets, use your ECS as needed. Urzu 1 out."

Starscream picks up the transmission and laughs as his Decepticon brethren go after the jets. One goes after a Mithril Harrier, Two goes after an F-35 and Three goes after an F-15.

**'Very foolish, Urzu 1, whoever you are. There's no escaping the might of the Decepticon aerial combat forces! Even ****with this "ECS", ****the****y don't stand a chance! Much like the**** best pilots of my form were no match for me!'**

What happens next surprises Starscream. For when he looks down, he sees Barricade fighting alongside the humans and Autobots. Along with protoform-like machines on the attack. And Barricade is shooting the machines, as are the Autobots.

**'Barricade, have your logic circuits gone mad? Those are protoforms you and the Autobots are firing at! Even more, you're fighting alongside the Autobots!'**

**'No, they're not, Starscream! They're Alastors! They may look somewhat like protoforms, but they're not! As for the current conditions, fear not, for it's only ****a ****temporary**** alliance****!'**

**'Well, I'd like to examine an ****"Alastor"**** for myself! I'm sure it would make an excellent addition to the Decepticon forces!'** With that, Starscream rapidly descends, intent on picking up an Alastor.

**'Starscream, no!'** But it's too late for Barricade's warning, for Starscream transforms before scooping up an Alastor. **'Starscream****, don't let it get close to your processors****, you slaggin' brain donor****!'**

**'Shut it, Barricade! I'll deal with you**** and your lack of respect**** once I've greeted our newest comrade.'** Directing his attention to the Alastor in his grasp, Starscream verbally says, **"I am Starscream, Comm****a****n****der of the Decepticon Army's aerial combat unit. I'd like to welcome you to the ****mighty ****Decepticon Army."** The response he gets isn't what he expected.

_"Commencing __A-1 __threat neutralization protocols."_ Reaching it's hands forward, the Alastor gets a grip on Starscream's vocal processors and begins compressing them. Thus beginning it's wild ride as Starscream struggles to get it's hands off his processors. _"Encountering difficulty. Increasing force."_

**"No you're not, traitor!"** Bringing his weapon to bear on the Alastor, Starscream blasts it and watches it fall to the ocean. Upon impact, it explodes. **'****Slag! Barricade****, why didn't you warn me?'**

**'****I tried to, but yo****u wanted to ignore me, you slaggin' brain donor****'**

'**Why I should…****'** His Cybertronian voice trails off as he sees the Mithril Harrier vanish, which confounds him. Along with the Harrier's copier as it begins to attack. '**Thrust, where'd your source go?'**

**'****I don't know, Starscream. I scanned and ****copied before commencing my attack****, but I don't think I can duplicate it****'s capability****. At all.****'** Suddenly, the Harrier appears behind Thrust and Starscream sees it.

'**Thrust, behind you!****'** But it's too late, for the Harrier launches a high-heat sabot loaded missile right into Thrust's burner. **'****Thrust, retreat! I'll deal with the fleshling!****'** To prove his point of supremacy, Starscream aims his weapons at the Harrier, only for it to vanish before his optics. **'Is that the "ECS" Urzu 1 was talking about?' **Next thing he knows, he gets a missile shot that impacts him from behind.

Grinning, the pilot of an F-15 jet says, "Got your ass now, Decepti-dork! I hope you liked your enema!" As the F-15 Eagle flies overhead of the Decepticon aerial Commander, Three is in close pursuit, having copied the form of the jet and is now trying to get a target lock. Next thing Three knows, it gets a missile into both of it's thrusters. Courtesy of a Mithril Harrier cloaked in ECS.

**'Dreadwing, what are you doing? You're supposed to be better than these pathetic fleshlings!'**

**'Try telling them that, Starscream! They're watching their opposite numbers' backs!**** And the one that just nailed me is not showing at all!****'**

As Two scans the F-35, it catches sight of an oncoming visible Mithril Harrier firing it's cannon at it, prompting it to wave off after getting what it needed. But before it can engage the Harrier, it gets a missile shot from the F-35 it'd just copied. Right into one of the VTOL fans it'd successfully managed to copy.

**'Thundercracker! Return fire, fool!'**

**'What do you think I'm trying to do, Starscream? These fleshlings are more formidable than ****what ****you ****had ****told us!'**

All three of the newly-camouflaged Decepticon jets are now fighting air-to-air in a dogfight with the flights they'd copied from, leaving Starscream to stew about the whole thing. As the fighting progresses, Starscream notices the other Decepticon jets can't even begin to touch the ones they'd copied. Leaving him the odd Decepticon out. Seeing Warpath down below him, he transforms back into his jet form and begins strafing the pavement leading to the Autobot's position.

Alison hears the gunfire, looks up and screams, "Warpath! Incoming! Sha-bang!" In response, Warpath turns toward the oncoming Starscream and fires a blast from his main weapon. The blast impacts with Starscream right on the nose, throwing his telemetry off as he goes back into the sky.

**"Thanks for the warning, Alison. Sha-bang!"**

"That's what battle buddies do, Warpath. Sha-bang!" Blushing again, Alison mutters out, "I really need to cut that out. Sha-bang!"

Once Starscream recovers, he arrogantly jumps back into the fight, not expecting what happens next. As they're being pursued by the very jets they tried to destroy, the other Decepticons inadvertently collide with Starscream in mid-air. Annoying him to the point of withdrawal.

'**Decepticon**** aerial unit****, retreat!****'** As they escape from the human pilots, Starscream thinks, **'I'll ****be back and ****find you, Urzu 1. And when I do, I'll make you wish you'd never even intervened!'**

At the end of aerial hostilities and the resultant air show, the already-defeated Amalgam forces slump even further into defeat. For they were hoping the attacking flyers and their own Alastors would turn the tide of battle in their favor. Cheering happily at the ending, along with the lack of friendly casualties, Tessa turns toward Daniel and suddenly locks lips with him.

"Miss Testarossa?"

"Shh, just call me Tessa."

"Okay, but only if you call me Daniel."

"Agreed." Switching to Italian, she asks, _"When would you like to have dinner together? I know this cute little restaurant__ here in Tokyo__ that has semi-Italian meals."_

_"How about tonight?"_

_"Great. It's a date." _

Her eyes suddenly going wide as she looks behind him, she pulls out her Walther PPK and fires once. Daniel looks and sees one of the Amalgam goons had opted to try attacking the two and instead wound up losing his life. With a hole right in his forehead. Breathing heavily, Tessa can't help but feel her gorge rise upon seeing the Amalgam corpse. Feeling ashamed of herself, Tessa drops her weapon to her side and starts sobbing. Next thing she knows, she feels Daniel take her into his arms.

_"That man has died by my hands__, Daniel__ I've become something I promised myself I'd never be.__"_

_"It was him or us, Tessa."_ Considering the situation, he softly asks, _"First close-contact kill?"_

_"First ever kill. Life's a precious thin__g to me. I hoped to get him to get back down__. But, he fell to the ground dead."_

_"Let's see. Head shot. Yeah, that's a kill shot alright. But, like I said, it was either him or us, Tessa."_

As he watches Daniel holding Tessa, Barricade can't help but shake his head at both the cowardice and stupidity of the Amalgam goon and Starscream.

**"Sometimes, I wonder why Megatron chose ****him to be Comm****a****n****der of the Decepticon's aerial combat unit.**** He doesn't even listen when someone tells him something important.**** The same c****ould be said of the Amalgam fleshling**** that the ****female fleshling**** just slagged.****"**

**"You'd think Megatron would've learned that'd be stupid**** and asking for trouble**** Same could**** be said for that Amalgam goon.****"**

**"Y****eah. Y****ou said it, Bumblebee."** His optics widening in shock, Barricade turns toward the yellow and black-striped mechanoid, his mouthpiece in a clear smirk. **"Your voice is back to normal now, Autobot?"**

**"It is."** Barricade can't help but evilly smirk at Bumblebee 'good-naturedly'.

**"Primus help us all.**** I'd just gotten used to**** hearing**** you speaking through your radio.**** Now I'll have to get used to hearing your slaggin' voice again.****"**

As they watch over the prisoners, Wakana turns to Lennox and asks, "Got any brothers? I'm single."

"No, I have no brothers. But, I know a guy that's single. He's a suit that works for the Government." Sam and Mikaela's eyes can't help but go wide in shock as he goes on. "There's his name and address. When you get a chance to, go see him. Who knows? You might just hit it off."

"Thanks!" Cheerful now, Wakana hums happily, which scares the Amalgam goons to no end. While this is going on, Lennox is getting a death glare from the two teens.

"What, guys?"

The look they give him in return asks, 'Have you lost your ever-loving mind?'

"Hey, they could make it. They're the same way, more or less."

Mikaela can only giggle lightly as Sam remarks, "Dude, you're so boned when he finds out what you did."

Back inside the warehouse, around the time of Starscream's mental rant, Sousuke can't help but sneeze. Not knowing someone's thinking nasty thoughts about him, he just puts it down as allergies from the dust in the room he's checking over. He then finds something he'd never expected in the dusty room. An immaculately clean computer. With Gauron's name on it.

'Okay, Gauron. What's your game this time?' Seeing that it's on, he does some amateur hacking. Thinking about an old friend, he muses, 'What I wouldn't give to have Wade Load here! He can hack far quicker than I can.' Next thing he knows, he sees a horizontal listing of Gauron's programs.

_'Cloning Project' 'Journal'__ 'Confessions'__ 'Kashim File'_

Suddenly, Sousuke ponders something that he'd remarked about in Afghanistan during their recent trip to recover the bodies of his parents. 'Cloning project? What if?' Examining the computer for booby traps and finding none before opening it, he begins extracting the hard drive. When he gets it out, he slips it into a static-free pouch. Before hearing a voice from the past emanating from the computer.

_"Hello, Kashim. Undoubtedly you're hearing this message right now and I'm supposed to be dead like every other time you killed me. Well, I'll tell you, dying__ repeatedly i__s a real pain at times. But, enough about that. If this message is playing, then that means you've removed the hard drive containing all my secrets, Kashim. That's right. No bombs, no booby traps of any kind. Unrestricted access to all my secrets. They should__ all__ benefit Mithril greatly, huh? That is, if you can find__ all of__ my other secrets."_

The last part of Gauron's message and his accompanying isn't heard by Sousuke. For the young mercenary's already out the doorway, intent on finding out more.

As she probes the lower level with Kaname, Yu Fan soon comes across a rack holding shotguns of an unusual nature and design. Getting Kaname's attention, the two head toward it. When they get close, she can hear Kaname gasp in awe.

"Kaname?"

"It's the AA-12 automatic 12 gauge assault shotgun. It was featured on 'Futureweapons' some time back. Somehow, Amalgam managed to get hold of a whole rack of them from the company. Might have stolen or bought them, for all we know. The company will probably deny all knowledge of the disappearance." Lifting one from the rack, she goes on. "There's even a grenade round specifically made for it, making it into a grenade launcher of a fashion."

Yu Fan can't help but grin as she says, "You've been hanging around the Lieutenant too long. You're starting to sound like him." Kaname can only shrug as she brings out a fully-loaded drum labeled '12 gauge standard' from the lower shelf. Upon seeing this, Yu Fan can only ask, "What are you doing?"

"Spoils of war. I'm getting the both of us his-and-her shotguns. This one will be an early birthday present for Sousuke. Besides, it could come in handy while we're in here." Slinging that one and picking up another, she adds, "You might want to get one for yourself and Tony. Just in case."

"Understood." Once their collecting is done, they proceed with their snooping. At the same time, intending to inform Lennox of the discovery of the weapons. If anyone should be informed, it's him.

As he searches a level of the complex, Tony hears laughter and cheers coming from nearby. Setting his carbine from 'semi' to 'burst', he heads for the source. What he sees next shocks him badly. Ten men cheering Scorponok's attack on his patrol group, courtesy of a recorded satellite feed. Feeling angered at the cheering of his comrades' deaths, he opens fire. Killing all but one with each burst.

As the Amalgam goon gets up, he sees a ticked-off male soldier with an M4 carbine. "Did you get your kicks, Amalgam asswipe? Did you? Well, here's how I get my kicks!" Letting loose a burst, he sends the rounds right into the goon's thigh. "How'd you get the footage?"

"We hacked a satellite over that spot on a whim and blocked any others from receiving it. When we saw it, we started cheering. No one in Amalgam likes Americans, so why should you care?"

"It's because I'm an American. Those people you were cheering their deaths about? They were fellow Americans and my friends!" Letting loose one more burst, he sends the rounds into the goon's chest, snarling, "Burn in Hell, Amalgam asswipe!"

Once the man is dead, Tony searches for the recorded material, intent on giving it to the SECDEF for the man to deal with. Upon finding the disc player is playing, he ejects the disc and the picture disappears. Nodding in satisfaction, he puts the disc into a nearby case and carries it. Just as he hears shotguns firing. Fearing the worst, Tony rushes out, hoping his wife was alright.

At the Sengawa station, the Desk Sergeant is fielding calls from residents living near the warehouse district. Ever since the call from the Commissioner that the district is off limits, he can't help but feel frustrated. He's so frustrated, he's nearly tempted to disobey orders. Even at the risk of his career. The other Officers in the office can't help but share his frustration.

But, they all manage to find a bright side. The craziest Officer they know and work with is in that district at that particular moment. As long as she doesn't need help, she can handle it on her own. For not only is she crazy, but Officer Yoko Wakana is also very good at what she does.

Back at the site, after leaving the weapons rack, Kaname and Yu Fan come across a woman holding a circular saw over a table, cutting a small form apart. Bringing up her borrowed 9mm Baby Eagle from Sousuke's stash, Yu Fan triggers a round, causing it to go into the side of the woman's left shoulder.

As the woman mutters angrily in German, Kaname and Yu Fan head toward the woman and the table. Upon hearing Kaname gasp in horrified shock, she looks as well. The tiny figure had it's innards exposed, if not somewhat damaged due to the blade it had been subjected to.

Flatly, with slightly choked emotion, Yu Fan says, "This must be Frenzy, Barricade's cohort."

"Yeah, I guess so." Her eyes turning toward the woman, Kaname snarls out, "What's with you, Nazi bitch? You're dissecting a child-sized robot that can't even fight back? What kind of person are you?"

"The same could be asked of you, Mrs Sagara and Miss Xia." At their stunned looks, the woman nods before smiling evilly. "The former and new Mr Silver both told me about your attributes. The former Mr Silver spoke highly of your beauty and foolishness in choosing that idiotic mercenary when you could and should have chosen him. The current Mr Silver spoke highly of your prowess in assassination, Miss Xia. Both you and your sister, in fact."

Snarling out, with Yu Fan sharing the same thought, Kaname asks, "Who is Mr Silver now, Nazi bitch?"

"It's Gauron." They all turn at Sousuke's voice as he goes on. "He's been cloned again, hasn't he?"

"Yes, but, how'd you know, you butcher?" At that, the Doctor hears the hammer cock back.

"Thank you, Kaname. I found his computer set-up and it listed his menu. It seems he also left a little message for me. Ten-to-one there's a message for Yu Fan as well."

"Why would you think that, Lieutenant?"

"Even though Gauron died repeatedly, he taught you to survive no matter what. Why that is, I have no idea. I don't suppose you could tell us, could you, Dr Nazi."

"Yes, but you're not getting anything else from me. Instead…" Going to a nearby desk, she opens a drawer and brings out a small notebook. "This is the new Mr Silver's journal when he was brought back to life repeatedly. He didn't have much of anything nice to say about you, 'Kashim'. Nor did he spare any kind words for the Xia sisters."

Giving Yu Fan a nasty glare, she adds, "He only saw them as expendable tools, not really essential or valuable to him. Every time he'd write it in, he'd enter it into his computer just to back it up and allow me to read from it afterward. He'd entrusted both setups to my care with every cloning." Suddenly, she feels a blade against her neck and lightly chuckles. "Did I touch a nerve, Yu Fan? Or is it Yu Lan? I could never really tell, you know."

"It's Yu Fan, Nazi bitch." Pressing the blade in even closer, she asks, "Where is Mr Silver and where is the cloning chamber?"

"Mr Silver's currently on a trip overseas seeing to Amalgam's interests. The cloning chamber is just behind me."

"Good." Without further preamble, Yu Fan moves the blade and jabs it deeply into the woman's neck, causing her life's blood to gush out. "If you're lying, I hope you die slowly. If it's true, I hope you'll still be alive so I can torture you." Letting the woman fall to the ground, bleeding from her mortal wound, Yu Fan walks into the chamber after finding and opening the door. With Sousuke and Kaname behind her.

When they get inside, Kaname can't help but gasp in horrified shock again, resisting the urge to vomit. Getting her urges under control, she asks, "How, Sousuke? How'd you know?"

"Something he said when Street Hawk and I went into his quarters in the temple in Shanghai that just didn't make sense until now. He made no mention of Hong Kong at all. He'd only mentioned Venom, meaning that Amalgam had made the clone after learning about Venom's destruction. They then sent the clone on to the ocean where it was found and then to Shanghai to oversee his Sho-Da-Kah operations after it rendered the clone paralyzed. Without knowing he'd already been found until Amalgam's sources had told them. The cloning him portion when we were in Afghanistan was only a theory. Now it's fact. Yu Fan, what was the condition of Gauron when you and Yu Lan found him?"

"He was near death, pretty much shattered." Giving Sousuke a soft glare, she adds, "Much like the way you found him in the bed in Hong Kong."

"Yes. A very far cry from the Gauron that Street Hawk and I came across. Confined to a wheelchair and relatively healthy. That simply didn't make much sense until just now."

"But, if you killed both clones, why did they wait so long to activate another one?"

"What makes you think they waited, Kaname?" In front of them, is a series of tubes containing the same man. With the same evil smile and messed up haircut. All fully-grown and ready for activation. "Chances are, he's been with Amalgam ever since before I started my career in Afghanistan." Seeing a shotgun being held out to him by Kaname, he asks, "Kaname?"

"Early birthday present, Sousuke. An AA-12 automatic assault shotgun."

"Ah. I think that trumps the more recent finds. Intelligence will probably find them useful still."

"And you think the book and hard drive contain that information, Lieutenant?"

"I do, Sergeant." Looking over at her, he gently asks, "Want me to do it? You don't have to be here if you don't want to be."

"If you would, sir, I'd appreciate it very much if you'd do it with me. He had hurt us badly."

"Understood." With that, both of them walk toward the tubes and ready their newest weapons. As they prime them, Sousuke notices Kaname and says, "Come on in, Kaname. You suffered at his hands too, you know."

"You're right. I did suffer." Readying her shotgun as well, Kaname smirks as she asks, "Any last words for the soon-to-be-undearly-departed and more deceased than he already will be?"

"Yes." Her eyes lighting up in anger, Yu Fan yells, "Burn in Hell, you bastard!" As all three of them shoot the tubes, Yu Fan's eyes start shedding tears filled with pain and heartache as she repeatedly shoots the one person she truly looked up to. "You're why I'm all fucked up, Gauron! How long were you going to keep us alive? Just until your own fucking ambitions were fulfilled?"

Going through her first shotgun magazine in seconds, Yu Fan brings up another one and slams it home before opening fire again. A minute later, all the tubes are destroyed, with the clones slumped over or in pieces. Her eyes still brimming with unshed tears, Yu Fan exits the chamber and walks past the now-deceased woman. As she walks over to the table, she sees Tony had just arrived after hearing gunfire. Giving Tony a sad glimpse, she lifts Frenzy off of the table and starts carrying it outside.

"Yu? Honey?" Upon feeling a hand gently clap his shoulder before he can go after her to comfort her, Tony turns around to see a shotgun-carrying Kaname shaking her head 'no'. "Kaname?"

"Now's not a good time, Tony. She's hurting pretty badly on the inside. But she'll need you sooner or later to hold her." As he watches his wife walk toward the staircase leading to the upper level, he hears her go on.

"There's nothing worse than possibly feeling betrayed by someone you felt cared for you and your sibling. I know. I've been there before Sousuke and I got together." Giving him a soft hug, she adds, "Just give her a little space and be there for her when she needs you the most."

"I will. Thank you, Kaname."

Back outside, Barricade and Wakana are watching over the Amalgam prisoners when Sideswipe's optics pick up a lithe form walking out of the building. Carrying a small, damaged mechanical form. Yu Fan's footsteps get Barricade's attention, along with rushed footsteps behind Yu Fan. Upon seeing Frenzy in her arms, he opens his chest compartment.

**"Put him inside the space there, please."** Upon her nod, she does so and shakes. Barricade notices and can't help but feel his cold spark go out to her. Somewhat. **"Are you functional, fleshli****n****g****?"** He gets no reply, as the lithe former assassin walks away from him. With Tony finally getting to her side and holding her softly as she starts sobbing into his chest.

In the background, Kaname goes over to Lennox and tells him about their finding the AA-12 shotguns. Prompting Lennox to nod Kaname into the building to see the rack. Five minutes later, they both come back out, wheeling the rack out, along with the corresponding ammunition. Much to their surprise upon examination of the ammunition drums, they all see they've been pre-loaded and labeled. From the standard 12 gauge all the way to the grenades.

Turning to Sousuke minutes after getting his spark under control, Barricade asks, **"What happened in there?**** I heard a lot of weapons fire emanating from within.**** The assassin's in pieces right now.****"**

Sousuke replies, "It seems she'd been betrayed in the worst way possible. She and her late sister both. It's not confirmed yet, but that's the way it looks." Bringing the static-free pouch out, he adds, "It's all on here. Mithril's hackers in Intelligence are going to have a field day with this thing. Gauron did a real number on both Yu Fan and her sister. He snowed and conned them, from the looks of things."

**"That will not do!"** With that, Barricade starts destroying the facility, Autobots and humans staring fearfully as the enraged Decepticon goes to town on the structure. Blasting it mercilessly and repeatedly. **"For Frenzy! For Yu Fan! For her sister! For all those that ****Gauron and ****Amalgam hurt!"**

Once done, Barricade turns back into his alt mode and announces, **"Our truce is**** now**** at an end, Autobots and ****fleshling****s. Next time we do battle, you will be slagged mercilessly!"** Without further words, Barricade speeds away, intent on catching a flight out of Japan discretely.

Sousuke and Kaname can only share a puzzled look as they ask each other, "Did he just thank us in his own way?"

**"It's possible, Sousuke and Kaname." **Turning at Optimus Prime's voice, the tall Autobot leader goes on. **"Even though he's a Decepticon, Barricade held Frenzy in slightly high regard.****"** Regarding Yu Fan, who's still currently sobbing into Tony's chest as he holds her, he adds, **"I suspect that if what Yu Fan was told is true, she won't want to go by that name anymore."**

"Yeah. It's just too bad that Gauron's out there, somewhere. Making trouble, for all we know."

**"Agreed****, Kaname****. Stay vigilant and well, Sousuke and Kaname Sagara. You're two of the bravest humans I've had the pleasure to encounter. As are Yu Fan and Tony.**** Along with Sam, Mikaela, Lennox and his team. Your pilots all do you credit, my friends. Mithril and regular pilots. They all have my admiration.****"**

Sousuke nods at it and replies, "We'll pass it on to them for you, Optimus."

**"I'd appreciate it. Autobots, transform and roll out!"** With that, the Autobots and their passengers head out, except for Daniel and Tessa. For he'd found her enchanting.

Delaying his departure, Ratchet asks, **"You sure you don't want to come along, Daniel? I'm sure you can come along, ****Captain Testarossa. As Daniel's sis****t****er'****s a nice pe****rs****o****n****."**

"I'm sure, Ratchet. I'm still terribly shy when it comes to groups. Even with Lieutenant and Mrs Sagara to keep me company."

**"I see. Well, Daniel, I hope you'll at least keep in touch with your family."**

"I will, Ratchet. I'll see you next week sometime."

With that, Ratchet transforms and rolls out, eager to rejoin the others. While Trailblazer stays behind, knowing they'll be needing a ride home. Plus to transport the reloaded M-16 crate, which had been done as the others had left. Along with put the designators back into the bag Lennox has with him.

Meanwhile, Cliffjumper is already heading back to 'The Grilled Otaku', having left right after the battle. When he gets there, he sees Miss Kagurazaka come out and smile. Right behind her, Jordan appears. As he looks around for the driver that 'stole' Eri's car, she smiles at Cliffjumper and nods.

"Eri? How'd the car come back?"

"Jordan, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Oh, sure. Like I doubted your doubts you were preggers." Giving her a kiss, he gently pulls her back inside the restaurant.

As the Garfunkle family siblings, Richard Reese and the Autobots head for Narita Airport, Johnny can't help but smirk a bit. "So we're going to the airport."

Hound replies, **"Yeah. So? Isn't that where we want to go to get back home?"**

"Yeah, it's just that we already saw the airport." Upon hearing his siblings and brother-in-law give him 'boos' and raspberries, he doesn't let it bother him. "Thank you. I'll be doing this all through the flight."

As Optimus Prime and the others roll along, Mikaela can't help but be curious. "Will she be alright? Yu Fan, I mean."

**"I'm sure she will be, Mikaela. After all, she's got a good support group going for her."**

**"Bumblebee's right. I can't help but wonder whose name and address Lennox gave to that crazy cop." **

**"I think we'll find out when the time comes, Prowl."**

**"I agree, Red Alert. I still can't believe the Mithril jets were able to disappear and reappear at will. Along with providing protection for their regular counterparts."**

**"Agreed, Ironhide. We should keep knowledge of Mithril handy. Just in case."**

**"Yes, Ratchet. It's a pity that Daniel chose to stay behind for now. But, he and Captain Testarossa look like a good couple. We should definitely look at Mithril as another ally."**

Smiling as he pats Ironhide's steering wheel, Lennox says, "I agree on that one, Optimus. Lieutenant Sagara, whether he knows it or not, would've made one hell of a Ranger." Kinking his head to the side, he adds, "I wonder what Barricade's doing right now."

At that moment, the mentioned Decepticon is discretely getting onto a flight planning to carry out the only duty he possibly can for his fallen friend. As his internal sensors examine Frenzy's form intently, Barricade can't help but be shocked at what had befallen his friend.

**'Oh, Frenzy. What'd those evil fleshlings**** in Amalgam**** do to you? They stripped your outer shell and removed your armaments. Your spark must have extinguished after your communication with me. Damn the human government's red tape style of dealing with matters!'** For the rest of the flight, Barricade decides to be as hostile as possible toward the human race. Without killing it off.

Back at the battle-site, Wakana, Trailblazer, Sousuke, Kaname, Tessa, Daniel, Yu Fan and Tony are reading over the notes inside Gauron's journal. From there, they learn the horrible truth. He'd been the one that told Simon Garfunkle about the village that was home to Yu Fan and Yu Lan both.

He'd even told Simon Garfunkle about his idea for a front criminal group and the idea was fully endorsed. With the intended and explicit understanding that no Police were to be killed or injured during a crime. But the biggest blow was when he'd talked about killing both Yu Fan and Yu Lan once his ambitions were completed.

Needless to say, Yu Fan flew into a rage, storming away from Tony to keep herself from hitting him. Instead, she brings out a shotgun magazine filled with grenades that were saved before Barricade's rampage from the rack's bottom shelf, slides it into the AA-12's well, primes it and starts screaming out her anger, pain and sorrow as she opens fire on the remains of the structure.

Within seconds, explosions come from the ruined structure's remains. When she feels a familiar set of arms encircling her, she moves to break away, but the holder holds her solidly.

Sobbing out loud, she yells, "Please, I'm a monster! Tony, I want to die! Let me be with my sister in Hell!" Wakana can't help but feel her heart go out to the couple, particularly the sobbing young woman.

"No, Yu Fan! You were a victim as much as those you killed were! You and your sister both were victims as well! Remember that!" His tone going to one of consolation as he turns her around to face him, he goes on. "You were both used and abused by a deranged madman for his own selfish ends."

With tears falling, she says, "But, still, you could do much better than me. I'm damaged goods."

"No, Yu Fan." Giving her a soft kiss, he goes on. "You may be damaged, but you've also got a chance to start fresh now that you know the truth. Do you want to keep your true name or bury it with your past?"

"I won't have to be her anymore?"

"That's right. Xia Yu Fan died that day on Merida Island. She was just stubborn in finally realizing it." She weakly chuckles as he softly kisses her tears away. "You're Mei Ling Reynolds, the love of my life and nothing will ever change that. For better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Nothing will ever change that, Mei. Ever."

Meanwhile, Wakana and Kaname are looking over at the other couple, with Sousuke, Daniel and Tessa doing the same. Wakana shakes her head at the devastation she sees before her.

"There's going to be a big front page come tomorrow."

"Yeah. Pity about explosive compounds exploding when not stored properly." Wakana's confusion amuses Sousuke somewhat as he goes on. "At least, that's going to be the official story."

"But, the Cybertronian war, their intergalactic grudge match here on Earth, Amalgam and it's research. Don't people need to know how close they came to buying the farm?"

"Negative. The only way for people to go on their daily lives and be either happy or miserable is that they don't know about it. They don't need to know. If they knew, we'd have mass hysteria to deal with. That's not the way we work." Tessa nods in agreement with Sousuke as Wakana thinks about it.

"I see. It seems I've quite a bit to learn still." Then Kaname notices Yu Fan and Tony are still holding each other silently.

"You okay over there, Yu Fan?"

"Who? I think you have the wrong person, Mrs Sagara." The young woman gives a bow and replies, "I'm Mei Ling Reynolds. I think the one you mistook me for died over a week ago after a tribunal hearing at your husband's hands." Kaname gives Mei a smile as she bows in return.

"So sorry, Mei. How do you feel after all that's said and done?"

"I think, after some intense sexual healing, I'll be just fine." Quirking her head, she remarks, "In a way, it's strange that the Police hadn't been called in yet."

"Oh, I'm sure they were called, but were instructed to stay out of it by higher figures." Looking at Sousuke, Wakana adds, "My call came at the last minute too. Kinda cut it close, didn't I?"

"It was unavoidable, Officer Wakana. But, we really should load up and head on out of here."

In another part of the world, a man walks into an electronics corporation when he gets a text message on his phone. Bringing it out, he frowns. 'Hmm, so they found my cloning chamber and destroyed my clones. No matter. This is the last cloning for me, anyway. It's getting harder to do with each time. Hello? Oh, Xia Yu Fan, alive still? I'll be sure to kill you after I kill Kashim and Kaname.'

Back in Japan, Wakana, the Sagaras, Reynolds and the newest couple get into Trailblazer after loading the arms onto the roof. Wakana, Tessa and Daniel get into the back seat while Mei and Tony get into the very back end. Deciding to have a little fun, Sousuke and Kaname both chuckle before Kaname takes the opening.

"I really think a mattress in the back of Trailblazer will be just perfect for camping with, Sousuke."

"Indeed, Kaname. Although, a single sleeping bag that's big enough can easily accommodate a couple as long as they hold each other closely."

"Sounds like fun, Lieutenant. But, given we don't have sleeping bags at the moment, this nice carpeted floor will have to do." Mei's giggling is suppressed when Tony wraps her into his arms and his lips around hers. As the two passionately make out, Tessa and Daniel converse back and forth in Italian.

_"So, what exactly do you do for Mithril?"_

_"I'm the Captain of the world's biggest submarine__. The Tuatha de Danaan."_

_"But, how? You're a little younger than I am. And I'm only nineteen."_

_"Special circumstances in my case, Daniel. That's all I can safely tell you."_

_"Is it bad?"_

_"As bad as it gets. Though, at times, it can be good."_

_"How so?"_

_"I designed the Tuatha de Danaan."_

_"No fucking way!"_ At hearing her giggle, he chuckles right back at her. _"You're like a good mystery. I like good mysteries."_

_"And you I will enjoy mystifying."_ Giving Daniel a slightly evil smirk and sending her eyes toward the Sagara couple, she asks, _"Wanna have some fun?"_

_"Sure."_ As Tessa leans forward to whisper into his ear, Daniel can't help but chortle wickedly as the platinum-haired young beauty leans back. _"How badly will this screw with their minds?"_

_"To the point of distraction. In Lieutenant Sagara's case, it won't be easy. Mrs Sagara is a wholly different matter."_

_"What will the Lieutenant do?"_

_"At first, mainly sweat and sweat heavily."_ Before Tessa can go on, Trailblazer's voice interrupts her.

**"If you two drop this right now, we won't have to resort to unpleasantness."**

Switching to English, Daniel says, "We were just hoping to have fun as well, Trailblazer."

**"Making sounds like you are mating is not considered fun at all."**

"To you, perhaps, Trailblazer. But it's what other humans do to mess with each other's heads." Turning back to see a blushing Tessa, Kaname asks, "Isn't that right, Captain Testarossa?"

"Kaname!" At Kaname and Wakana's soft fond laughter, Tessa laughs as well as she gives Daniel a quick peck. "It was a good try, Daniel. It was just lousy luck that Trailblazer was able to pick up on Italian."

Curious about that, Kaname says, "In a way, you picked up on Earth's languages rather easily, Trailblazer. Was it in case you had to speak to someone in a hurry?"

**"Yes. We learned Earth's languages on the world-wide web. Optimus Prime addressed you in English, even though he and the others were in Japan."**

"So us being fluent in English was a hunch, then."

**"Correct, Lieutenant.**** Although he'd ****been fully briefed by Mei during the flight over here****"**

In twenty minutes, they arrive at the Sengawa station to drop Wakana off. After she gets out, she says, "That was fun, Lieutenant. Can we look forward to working together again?"

"Only time will tell, Officer."

"Yeah." Looking into the back of Trailblazer, Wakana can see Mei is curled up into Tony's arms. As he holds her, Tony keeps telling her that she'll be alright and he'll be there for her. "Soldier, take real good care of her, okay."

"I will, Officer Wakana. Take care of yourself." Wakana gives an insane cackle and nod as Trailblazer pulls away from the station. Remembering something, Tessa turns toward Tony and smiles softly.

"Now that you've had a taste of Mithril operations, how would you like to join the Primary Response Team, PFC Reynolds?"

"Ma'am?" At Tessa's giggle and Mei's squeal of delight and caress, he goes on. "You mean you're considering me for membership into Mithril?"

"Correct. You did rather well under the circumstances." With that, he makes his choice.

The next week, Sousuke and Kaname are seeing Daniel, Tony and Mei off at Narita Airport. Tessa had left the previous day in her helicopter the day after their first date. Her reason?

_"Sorry, but Mithril needs my help with the paperwork regarding the mission. I'll call you soon, Daniel."_

_"But, how will you know where to find me?" She just looked at him and giggled._

_"I'll know."_

Shaking his head, Daniel smiles as he looks over at Mei and Tony at the gate. "See you guys later in California before we part company, I hope."

"You most likely will. Of course, it seems as if Captain Testarossa's taken a shine to you. Just like you've taken a shine to her. I'd never seen her glowing like that before." Looking over at Sousuke and Kaname, Mei adds, "Much like they do anytime they go carnal with each other."

"Like you're one to talk, Mrs 'I-can't-get-enough-of-my-husband!' Reynolds."

"I could call you the same, Mrs 'Bang-me-against-the-wall,-Sousuke!' Sagara." Both women trade glares before erupting into giggles of hilarity. Finding calling each other by what they scream while in the throes of passion to be quite hilarious. Giving Kaname a hug, she says, "I hope to see you when the babies are born, Kaname."

"I'll be looking forward to it, Mei." Looking over at Tony, she says, "I hope you can keep her spirits up, Tony."

"Oh, I'll keep her spirits up. Maybe by keeping her knocked up." As Mei blushes, Tony softly kisses her and says, "I don't care what anyone says. I love you, Mei."

"I love you too, Tony." Giving Sousuke a salute, she adds, "I'll see you when I'm needed, sir."

Returning the salute, Sousuke replies, "I look forward to fighting at your side again, Sergeant. Corporal. Have a safe flight home."

"We will, Lieutenant." Giving him a quick salute, Tony adds, "This is still a lot to take in, though."

"I understand. What are you going to do with the disc you recovered?" Tony can only shrug before replying.

"The only thing I can do. I'm giving it to the SECDEF. Let him decide whether or not their families need to see it or not. The footage is pretty raw and messy. Scorponok really tore them and the vehicles up." At that moment, Daniel, Mei and Tony hear their flight called. "That's us, guys."

As the three head for their flight, Sousuke and Kaname wait until the gates are closed before leaving. As they reach Trailblazer, Sousuke's communicator chimes and he picks it up.

"Sagara. Roger." Ending communication, Sousuke turns to Kaname and says, "We need to report to the Hospital. The test results are in."

"Okay." As they exit the terminal, they see a grinning Wakana go into the terminal and stifle a chuckle as they leave. For they have a pretty good idea as to her destination and who she's traveling to see.

To say the ride within Trailblazer was filled with tense silence would be putting it mildly. Five minutes later, as Trailblazer pulls into the Hospital lot, Sousuke and Kaname both see Ryu and Sakura arriving as well. When Sakura sees Trailblazer, she only has one thing to say.

"Looks like that truck's been taking it's vitamins. How'd you get a Hummer over here, brother?"

"You'll find out when we find out the test results. Not before, Sakura."

As they go into the Hospital, they see Doctor Tanaka speaking with a heavily-pregnant woman before wheeling her into a room. When they get to where they're going, they wait for the Doctor to arrive. When the Doctor arrives, he smiles and says the following words.

"Mr Sagara, you are a brother and a nephew." Upon seeing Sousuke's stunned, the Doctor adds, "He'll be a while in processing the information." An instant later, Sousuke snaps out of it and smiles.

"It seems I've got some catching up to do." Sakura and Ryu both nod happily as they and Kaname approach the teen mercenary. "What first?" With that, the Sagara siblings start their re-bonding process.

Elsewhere on the planet, Gauron is looking over notes regarding a tube in front of him. 'Hmm, very nice. Subject coming along nicely for rebirth purposes.' Giving an evil smirk, he verbally adds, "You'll bring your sister to her knees." Walking away from the tube, he catches sight of the Doctor he'd recruited. "Doctor Walkerson, how long until the clone's ready?"

"The clone is currently in the synthesized first trimester. During which time, we'll add growth hormones and steroids for more strength as the clone takes shape. All in all, it should take a month, maybe a month and a half tops." Giving Gauron a slight glare, he asks, "Why a clone, though? I thought you didn't like to bring up past items."

"Oh, this one's special. For this clone has some unfinished business with it's sister. Then, and only then will my goals come to fruition." Gazing at the infant-sized form, he smiles and says, "Soon, Kashim. You, Kaname and Yu Fan will taste the power in my triumph before dying." With that last word, Gauron begins laughing coldly and cruelly. "Yes, you will all taste my power."

END (Or is it?)

Author's Notes: Hell of a finish, huh? Sousuke being an actual brother, fighting alongside the Autobots. 64 pages altogether. Makes for a long period of writing. For those of you curious about some aspects, allow me to expand.

The AA-12 does exist and is currently undergoing testing. The weapon was featured on 'Futureweapons', so I give my kudos to the show and it's host for an excellent showing for all the things to come to our country's military.

The Gauron cloning portion was a possibility, given one of my earlier stories having been written before I could even see 'Second Raid.' Speaking of clones, anyone care to guess whose clone it is?

The website is real as well. It's a very funny website. 'Kavorkian Scarf' was my favorite one, even though the spelling on that site was incorrect. Along with some others being my favorites. Kudos to the master of that site.

In short, I hope you enjoyed the final chapter of 'Honeymoon'. Stay tuned for the next story. Seriously!


End file.
